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The following is a list of Los Angeles–area stage and film acting schools, teachers, and coaches organized by category and alphabetically.
Each of the entries contains the following information, if applicable: name of teacher or school, address, phone and fax numbers, email address and/or website, average number of students per class, whether beginning, intermediate, or advanced students are taught, whether auditing is permitted, whether classes are ongoing or by sessions, any special emphasis used in classes or coaching, whether a work/study program is offered. Descriptions of the class, school, or coaching are provided by the instructor or institution and edited by Backstage.
Schools or teachers who have been omitted may contact email@example.com so that we may include you in our next list.
Acting Technique/Scene Study
Aaron McPherson Studio
Allison Flanagan, Assistant
5068 Franklin Ave. #302
Los Angeles, CA 90027
12 (audition class) - 40 (scene study) students per class; Auditing is not permitted ($25 consultations credited toward first month of class); Advanced/Professional levels; Ongoing sessions.
Actor, coach, and director Aaron McPherson has trained under Larry Moss, Jeffrey Tambor, Patsy Rodenberg, the American Conservatory of Theatre, and earned a Master's Degree in acting from the California Institute of the Arts. McPherson offers classes in on-camera audition technique and scene study, with the focus on both technical and organic acting. Some of his clients include Seth MacFarlane, Matt Bomer, Odette Annabelle, Dolph Lundgren, Oded Fehr, and Ashley Fink.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, On-Camera Technique, Audition Technique/Cold Reading
Aaron Speiser Acting Studio
1644 S. La Cienega Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
25-40 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; 6-8-week and ongoing sessions.
Speiser has been a trainer and coach in the industry for over 25 years, having worked with numerous acclaimed actors including Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, Virginia Madsen, Jennifer Lopez, Gerard Butler, L.L. Cool J., the Wayans brothers, Shannyn Sossamon, Mandy Moore, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Brooke Shields, and Jeff Foxworthy. Several of his actors, including Madsen and Will Smith, have gone on to be nominated for Academy Awards and other notable recognition. He has worked with several directors and producers as well, including F. Gary Gray of "The Italian Job," Michael Mann of "Public Enemies," Francis Lawrence of "I Am Legend," Neal Israel of "Finding Neverland," Oliver Stone, Adam Shankman, Wayne Wang, and Peter Berg. Speiser's approach is "specifically designed for professional actors, or actors who want to be professional, it's very specific and no-nonsense." The studio specializes in on-camera acting for film and television. Ongoing classes include beginning technique, cold reading, improv, voice, dialect and accent, intermediate and advanced scene study, an invitation-only master class, and casting director, business of acting, and comedy seminars. A comprehensive teen program is also offered. Private coaching for auditions, career counseling, and image consulting are available. Mr. Speiser Skypes anywhere in the world as well.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Business of Acting
The Acting Center of Los Angeles
Amanda Rogers, Consultant
5514 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
20-50 students per class; Private coaching and career consultation by appointment; All levels; Scene study runs monthly; Improv runs in eight-week sessions; Work-study available by invitation only to dedicated students.
The Acting Center is an acting school that produces actors who are confident and certain in their ability to create any character, in any emotion, in any situation, instantly. Classes are composed of exercises, cold reading, scene study, improv, career consulting, private coaching and commercial intensive. Also acting and improv classes for kids & teens. Classes meet Mon. and Wed. 10am-1 p.m., Mon. and Wed. 7-10 p.m., Tue. and Thu. 7-10 p.m., and Sun. 1-6 p.m. $280 per month for adult classes. Call for kids class pricing. Parking available for a small fee. See student bookings on Facebook (www.facebook.com/theactingcenter) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/theactingcenter).
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
The Acting Corps
Eugene Buica, Founder and Artistic Director
5508 Cahuenga Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
Average 16 students per class; All levels; Sessions are four weeks, six weeks, eight weeks, 12 weeks, and nine months; Interview is required for audit; Work study/internship offered from time to time.
The premier short-term Los Angeles acting conservatory believes that to do anything well, one must do it every day, and one must do it extensively, guided by experts in that field. Acting Corps offers the original Actors' Boot Camp in its new facility in the NoHo Arts District. It is a four-week, every-day, in-your-face technique-based acting program, which not only teaches amazing acting technique but also applies it to cold reading and scene study. All instructors are accomplished, currently working professionals with extensive on-set and teaching experience. After the Actors' Boot Camp, some actors are invited to the Actors' Boot Camp II — eight weeks of deeper acting technique and on camera scene work, as well as learning how to sell yourself as an actor, which includes getting out there and auditioning. At the end of Boot Camp II, every actor also receives professionally shot and directed material for their reels. For those working on specific career goals, there is an Advanced Program, a three-month course of study where actors work with instructors on achieving concrete creative and professional career goals.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Acting for Sitcoms
Lynn Chao
Office Manager
Actors Comedy Studio
7461 Beverly Blvd., Ste. 202
Los Angeles, CA 90036
16 students per class max; Private coaching available; Intermediate and advanced levels; Ongoing sessions; auditing is not permitted.
Acting For Sitcoms addresses every element required of actors to audition effectively for comedy and build a career. This class seamlessly integrates cold reading, scene study, and audition technique into an ongoing workout opportunity that allows time for actors to develop the myriad skills required to compete in today's marketplace and book work.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Audition Technique/Cold Reading
Acting Studio at Edgemar (FKA Larry Moss Studio)
Michelle Danner
2437 Main St.
Santa Monica, CA 90405
fax: 310-399-2898
15 students per class; private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Free information sessions on Thursdays from 10:30am–12:30 p.m.; Ongoing sessions.
The Acting Studio at Edgemar (formerly known as the Larry Moss Studio) not only provides individual acting classes for beginners, intermediate, and advanced actors, but also a well-rounded acting conservatory. The school encompasses the following acting techniques: Meisner, Strasberg, Adler, Hagen, Chekhov, and the Stanislavsky Technique. Acting classes offered: The Actor's Golden Box With Michelle Danner, Audition for Film and Television: On-Camera Cold Reading, Scene Study (Beginning/Intermediate/ Advanced),Improv Workout, Casting Director Workshop, Voice Intensives levels 1 and level 2. Three-, six-, and 12-month well-rounded actor intensives are also available. Don't miss the free informational session to learn about all of the classes and meet with Michelle Danner. Director, actress, and acting coach Michelle Danner heads the acting school. She has worked with Marcia Cross, Zooey Deschanel, Isla Fisher, Catherine Bell, Rick Fox, James Franco, Salma Hayek, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Christian Slater, Gabrielle Union, and numerous others. She teaches internationally in Europe, Toronto, Vancouver, B.C., Dubai, Los Angeles, and New York. Watch Michelle Danner's latest film "Hello Herman" starring Norman Reedus from the "Walking Dead" and "Boondock Saints" and Marta Higareda at www.allinfilms.com. The movie is available on View-on-Demand in over 100 million homes, iTunes, Amazon, Netflix, etc.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, On-Camera Technique, Improv and Comedy
The Actor / Artist Group Workshop – Peter-Henry Schroeder
PHS Productions at the Complex
6476 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
310-497-5930 or 310-277-2355
Private coaching ongoing; Group study 5 minimum; Audition coaching for TV / Film / Theatre ongoing; All levels; Observation by invitation only; Ongoing sessions.
Using his extensive directing, teaching, and acting experience, Peter-Henry Schroeder teaches an ongoing workshop with innovative personalized training for actors of all levels who are dedicated and committed. In addition to focusing on relaxation and concentration techniques, Schroeder works with actors on audition monologues, cold readings, scene projects, technique, and audition preparation. Private coaching is available. The workshop meets twice a week and accepts new actors by recommendation or by interview process, with a monologue or scene. An Evening of Scenes, a professional industry showcase, is periodically presented. Observation is welcome. Fee is based on individual actor, but minimum applies. The Workshop is now listed in "Where To Train," by Keith Wolfe, and spotlights Peter-Henry Schroeder. Schroeder's most recent acting credit is playing the role of The Producer in ARGO, winner of Best Picture Academy Award, and Best Cast in A Motion Picture SAG Award.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Actor Muscle with Beverly Leech
NoHo Arts District/Toluca Lake, CA
Private coaching available in person and online; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Initial interview is gratis; Ongoing sessions.
"Craft. Grit. Wit." Bev Leech is a working actress, a 30 plus-year veteran of stage, film, and television, and studied with the late, great Stella Adler. From Broadway to the soundstage, Beverly offers the full spectrum of techniques needed for actors of all skill levels to approach their work. She has taught at Stella Adler in L.A., The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and South Coast Repertory. For more information on Ms. Leech, please visit IMdB and the Actor Muscle website. Also available for viewing is the 12-part series Magic Image magazine and Actor Muscle on Facebook: "Handling Rejection, Failure, & Surviving Yourself - survival skills and perspective for the young, hungry actor."
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study; Audition Technique/Cold Reading; Commercials/Voiceover, Business of Acting
The Actor's Key
2019 West Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91506
15-22 students per class; Advanced and professional actors only; Auditing is permitted for Q&A portion of workshops; Ongoing sessions.
The Actor's Key hosts workshops with casting directors and other industry professionals. Workshops include group Q&A, as well as one-on-one performance of prepared scenes chosen by the actor from our library of sides ahead of time. Actors receive written evaluation sheets after their performances.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
The Actor's Lab
J.D. Lewis
20 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing sessions.
"Incorporation of the business of acting with the craft" is how working actor-director J.D. Lewis describes his training approach, which he offers in his ongoing cold reading, scene study, and career guidance classes. He offers private coaching and is known for coaching many well-known working actors. He teaches master-class levels only. Says Gary Dontzig, executive producer of "Murphy Brown" and "Suddenly Susan," "If you get the chance to study at the Actor's Lab, it will change the course of your career." Acceptance is by interview/audition. Classes are held at the Odyssey Theatres, in West L.A.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Actors Art Theatre
6128 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 110
Los Angeles, CA 90048
12 students per class max; Private coaching available; All levels; Free introductory session is given with interview/audition; Ongoing sessions.
Actors Art Theatre offers classes in rehearsal and performance technique and scene study work with instructor Jolene Adams, who studied with teachers from the Actors Studio and the Neighborhood Playhouse, and uses her own system of creating a role inspired by Stanislavsky and Meisner techniques. Adams says she teaches acting "mostly on a one-to-one basis, in a personalized, step-by-step approach." She encourages actors to write their own original character material, solo shows, monologues, and scenes. She offers a Writing Out Loud workshop ($180 for six weeks, including two private sessions), which encourages the actor to explore technique through storytelling, improv, and writing exercises. There is an On-Camera Audition Workshop offered, $180 for six sessions. Film, TV, and theater casting sessions are simulated so that audition stress can be transformed into satisfying acting experiences. Sides are emailed 24 hours before class. Casting sessions are taped and played back for adjustments and notes. There is also a directing workshop available for actors and directors. Ongoing technique and scene study classes are $180 for six weeks. All classes are available in private or semiprivate sessions. Private coaching is $75 a session or four sessions for $240. 6128 Wilshire Blvd., #110, L.A.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
The Actors Center
Michael Butler
www.actorscenter.net; www.actorscenter.com
Small class sizes; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
The Actor's Center, led by Butler, creates an atmosphere that gives an actor "the inspiration to explore the depth and range of human experience." Butler believes "training is more than a matter of technique," and the center's goal "is to get you working at a level of excellence."
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene study
The Actors Circle
Marcie Smolin
4475 Sepulveda Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90230
8–14 students per class; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Led by director and founding member Marcie Smolin, the Actors Circle offers television and film acting workshops for children, teens, and adults, in scene study, cold reading, improv, character development, and interview technique. Classes develop and foster confidence, focus, self awareness, creativity, sensory awareness, choice-making, memory and sequencing skills that give actors the necessary tools for taking direction and maintaining the stamina necessary for filming, taping, or live performing. Students have included four Emmy winners, nine Emmy nominees, and dozens of others in starring roles. Classes and private coaching are available. Professional demo reels and audition filming are offered.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Actors Creative Workshop
2703 W. Olive Ave.
Burbank , CA 91505
10-12 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Free workshops for actors to meet the coaches; 4–6-week sessions as well as ongoing classes and 1-night workshops; Work study/internship programs available; Email inquiries.
Actors Creative Workshop believes in fostering the growth of its students in their art and in their careers, led by two guiding principles: integrity and passion. It offers reel development, standup classes, and audition technique, among other specified courses. Its staff consists of highly qualified industry professionals who have worked both in front of and behind the camera, with an actor's perspective on the business. The coaches range from independent film directors to major network coaches. All levels taught. Free demo sessions. Private coaching available. 10523 Burbank Blvd., Ste 206, North Hollywood, CA 91601.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
The Actors Sanctuary
West Hollywood, CA
www.dhtcb.com and www.theactorssanctuary.com
No student limit; Private coaching available; Free one-time audit available; All levels; Ongoing sessions.
Actor David Hall has worked in film, television, and stage with some of the most respected filmmakers in the entertainment industry including Mel Brooks, John Frankenheimer, Terrence Malick, Garry Marshall, Gordon Parks, Aaron Spelling, and Gene Wilder. He is also a director for television and stage. Hall's Actor's Sanctuary, a scene-study/monologue class, begins each week with an exercise that often consists of cold reading, and audition technique work. The purpose of this work is to prepare the actor for the interviews and auditions that are at the heart of the audition process. The second half of the class is devoted to scene study and monologue work. Hall believes monologues are also a tool through which the actor, without a film demo, can, if the opportunity presents itself in a casting session, perform something right on the spot.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Audition Technique/Cold Reading
Actors Theatrecraft Workshop
Rick Walters
7445 1/4 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
phone: 323-876-1100
10-12 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
"In real life, we compromise and cover up our preferences in order to get along with others, going along with their 'social order' of things. Far too often, we let others 'have the stage.' It's time we use the theater as our forum and not hide or cover up, but rather 'take the stage' back expressing our preferences and disagreements with unfair systems that create these compromises, and use the theater's power to express our point of view. Once you've developed this skill, you will be recognized in this business," says acting coach-director Walters. According to an article in the L.A. Examiner, "Since 1961, successful actors in film, on TV, and on Broadway have used his direct approach to tap into their own unique experiences and quickly reveal the natural responses of the character." Walters has produced and directed more than 100 plays. Michelle Pfeiffer, Mariska Hargitay, Sharon Gless, Priscilla Presley, and Peta Wilson have been trained in Walters' technique, which has been featured on Entertainment Tonight and in Time magazine. Classes focus on cold reading, scene study, improvisation, audition scenes, and monologues. Every actor works every class. Private coaching and demo (DVD) reels are available.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
The Actors Workout Studio
Fran Montano, Artistic Director
4735 Lankershim Blvd.
N. Hollywood, CA 91602
16 students max per class; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Fran Montano, an actor for more than 30 years and a teacher for over 25, specializes in "troubleshooting actors' blocks." To that end, he says, classes are small, "very individualized, and it's very much an intense workout where everyone works every class." His classes, based on Meisner technique, include exercises, improv, cold reading, and scene study. Montano is also the artistic director of the Actors Workout Studio, where class members regularly mount performances and industry-invited scene nights. His ongoing weekly workshops divide into beginning and advanced, and he requires an interview and audit.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study.
Actors Workshop Studios
5703 Oberlin Dr., Ste. 210
San Diego, CA 92121
15 students max per class; Beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Established in 1989, the Actors Workshop Studio in San Diego provides on-camera training in film and television acting and audition techniques. The school offers weekly ongoing classes based on the Meisner approach. "The class teaches that the seed to the craft of acting is in the reality of doing," says instructor Stephen Walters. "It focuses on the development of an actor's impulses, rather than relying on preplanned response." Limited to 15 students each, the classes are $250 a month for the first three months, then $150 per month. An interview or audition is required. Auditing is allowed. 5703 Oberlin Dr., Ste. 210, San Diego.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
The Actors Workshop
All levels; Auditing not permitted.
This film-television workshop, which began in Hollywood in the early 1970s before moving to its present Orange County location in 1980, is now in its 30th year. Under the direction of TV-film actor R.J. Adams, with co-director Rob Adams, classes are ongoing for all levels: beginning, intermediate, and advanced. Workshops are held twice weekly with an emphasis on film and TV audition techniques, cold readings, on-camera scene work, and marketing and imaging guidance. Showcases are held on a regular basis with major L.A. film and TV casting directors. There are no audits, and acceptance is based on a personal interview.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
The Actors' Practice Field - Kimberly K. Wilson
Private coaching available; One free audit (call for interview).
Writer-director Wilson has 15 years' experience as acting coach in the Meisner-Conrad-No Acting approach. Courses, taught in Hollywood, include TV/film audition workout, scene study, and cold reading/on-camera. All levels accepted. Classes are ongoing. $75 per month. One free audit. Call for interview. Private coaching available.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
The Actor's Studio of Orange County
Sonya Cooke, Head Teacher and Private Coach
2730 South Harbor Blvd., Suite L
Santa Ana, CA
www.asooc.com, www.sonyacooke.com
14 students per class max; Beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels; Free audit for students new to the class; Classes listed on the website; Private coaching in Los Angeles available Friday-Monday, and Tuesday-Thursday in Orange County. Classes meet weekly and are 2.5–3 hours long.
The Actor's Studio of Orange County instructs the actor how to act with ease, emotional depth, specificity, and authenticity. By training in The Seven Pillars of Acting Technique, the actor gains confidence and ownership over his/her process and performance, which can be applied to any medium, be it theater, film, TV, commercial, or web! Classes in audition prep, voice and speech, classical text, musical theater, and private coaching are also available. A professional actor with an MFA and BFA in Acting, Sonya, as director of the school, is equipped to bring students of all levels to the apex of their talent. One of a kind in Orange County, the school's expert faculty creates an invigorating environment of artistic excellence. Sonya Cooke is also available for private coaching in Los Angeles. Please visit her website to see testimonials and read her blog on acting technique: www.sonyacooke.com
Specialties: Acting Technique, Private Coaching, Audition Prep, Musical Theatre, Voice and Speech, Improv
AIA Actors Studio
2210 W. Olive Ave., Ste. 320
Burbank, CA 91506
20 students per class average; All levels; Auditing is permitted with audition; Single session and ongoing workshops/classes; Limited internships available.
AIA Actors Studio has spent more than 23 years guiding actors with professional excellence by providing industry instruction, career guidance, and the opportunity to build relationships with industry experts through workshops, classes, and other events. AIA Studios offers workshops with casting professionals, agents and managers, acting classes, seminars on the business of acting, networking events, master acting classes, one-on-one career development, and much more.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Business of Acting
Al Rossi
818-902-1538/323-953-4000, ext. 2975
12 students per class max; Private coaching available for auditions; Intermediate and advanced levels; Auditing not permitted; Classes by sessions.
Rossi, a veteran actor-director, is one of the most respected acting teacher-coaches in Los Angeles. Among those he has directed or coached: Martin Sheen, Scott Glenn, Paul Winfield, Cindy Williams, Ed Asner, Joan Van Ark, John Ritter, Faith Prince, Steve Allen, Louise Sorel, Hugh O'Brian, John Vickery, Justin Tanner, Laurel Green, and Sabin Epstein, among many others. He is head of acting at LACC's Theatre Academy, the oldest continuous actor-training program on the West Coast. His private classes have no more than 12 actors, and he does individual coaching for film, TV, and theater auditions. His mentor was Sir Tyrone Guthrie in Minneapolis, when Rossi was a charter member of the theater there. Acting Shakespeare is a specialty. Periodically produces showcases for agents, managers, and casting directors.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Alan Feinstein Acting Studio
Private coaching available; All levels
Alan Feinstein, a veteran working actor, offers five ongoing classes, which cover scene study from beginning to advanced, fundamental and emotional exercises, on-camera, and cold reading. Alan says of his teaching: "I take actors out of their heads and truly into the moment". The classes emphasize freeing the actor's emotions for maximum creative results in a safe and supportive environment. Admission by interview only.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, On-Camera Technique, Audition Technique/Cold Reading
Albert Dayan
8-14 students per class; Private coaching available; Intermediate and advanced levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
"Finally, an acting class in Los Angeles about acting," Dayan says of his scene study class. Placing an emphasis on craft and not industry concerns, Dayan directs his actors to address their bad habits and expand their range. Though familiar with all the major techniques, he prefers to not emphasize any one of them. Instead, he says, he addresses each actor individually, relying on a keen eye for honest work. Students are encouraged to work every session. "I don't teach you how to get the job," Dayan says. "I teach you to deserve it." Nine years' experience.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
The Alex Taylor Studio
2021 Bonita Ave.
Burbank, CA 91504
Limited size classes; All levels; Interview required for acceptance, audit by arrangement after the interview; Ongoing intensives; Traditional Meisner programs begin in January and in September.
Led by Alex Taylor, The Alex Taylor Studio is a dynamic and inspiring acting center that gives students a clear, step-by-step approach to the craft of acting. The studio's pure Meisner training allows actors to gain confidence in their artistic choices and develop the complete freedom to express.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Conservatory/University
Alexandertech Works
Jean-Louis Rodrigue, Kristof Konrad
P.O. Box 3194
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
fax: 310-443-4483
12–15 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing arranged by appointment; Classes by sessions.
For more than 30 years AlexanderTech Works has provided on-going group classes, private coaching, and intensive courses in Los Angeles, New York, and Europe by AmSAT certified teachers that help actors gain a fundamental awareness, control, and freedom of the self. Goals of the technique are effortless movement, increased coordination, a fuller capacity of breath, improvement in the use of the voice and speech, increased tonus in the musculature, and an overall stronger sense of being. Physical well-being is important to an actor's imaginative growth and is essential to the development of his means of expression. Courses are offered in character development through physicalization, animal movement studies, and period movement. Time commitment for private lessons is 20–30 lessons, and for group classes is 7 weeks. Los Angeles–based group classes are held at the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble in West Los Angeles. Instructor Jean-Louis Rodrigue has additionally been part of the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television for the past 19 years.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Alexia Robinson Studio
13425 Ventura Blvd., Second Fl.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
www.alexiarobinsonstudio.com; www.smartactors.com
Kid's classes capped at eight students, Teen and Adult classes available for groups of 15-plus; Private coaching available; All levels; Free audit of the scene study class is offered; Ongoing sessions; Work study available.
Students can learn how to get results with award–winning actor Robinson. With more than 20 years of industry experience, this protégé of legendary coach Roy London has been teaching for more than 10 years. Film credits include The Nutty Professor, Candyman III, MacArthur Park, and Total Recall. Television credits include series regular roles on The Young and the Restless, Savannah, and Good News. This school offers scene study, commercial workshops, and cold reading/audition technique for adults and for teens and kids. A free audit of the scene study class is offered.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Allan Rich
To email, use contact form on allanrich.com
www.allanrich.com, www.aleapfromthemethod.com
Private coaching only; Beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels; Three sessions.
Working actor Rich offers private coaching. Former students include Rene Russo, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Larry Miller. While Rich is open to working with new students, he notes, "I enjoy teaching people who are serious." Rich teaches actors the same "organic technique" he uses in his own work. Rather than prospective students being required to audition for him, Rich says he auditions for them. He can be seen in the soon-to-be-released "Wish I Was Here" with Zach Braff, Kate Hudson and Mandy Patinkin. Rich's book titled "A Leap From the Method: An Organic Approach to Acting," is now on the syllabus at Cal State Northridge, where he routinely guest lectures. Actor Jack Lemmon said of it, "The book presents an organic method that is filled with inside information. And there is an added plus: It's fun to read." Russo said, "Allan introduced me to the craft of acting. He inspired, educated, and encouraged me. I shall be forever grateful." Despite being Blacklisted during the McCarthy Era, Rich has appeared in scores of TV shows and films. He co-starred in the "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" pilot, and is often noted for his role as the "Survivor" in Larry David's "Curb Your Enthusiasm."
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Allen Nelson
fax: 818-787-6375
Private coaching only; Beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels.
Nelson was the coach-administrator for 21 years at the Tracy Roberts Actors Studio, and was recently featured in two documentaries. Nelson coaches privately for auditions and monologues, and works in-depth with actors who need to learn or strengthen their technique.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
AMDA College and Conservatory of the Performing Arts
6305 Yucca St.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
fax: 323-469-5246
20 students per class; Intermediate and advanced levels; Auditing is not permitted; By sessions with fall, spring, and summer semesters; Offers extensive scholarship opportunities.
AMDA College and Conservatory of the Performing Arts offers artists a chance to train with, and learn from, a premier faculty comprising accomplished actors, directors, choreographers, dancers, designers, and educators who inspire and work with students on an individual basis. AMDA is the only performing arts college that offers Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees and conservatory studies programs with campuses in both New York and Los Angeles. The integrated program offers training in singing, acting, and dance. The studio program trains students in acting for stage, film, and television. The dance theater program is designed to give you the physical training expected in the professional world, while providing the opportunity for additional training in acting and vocal technique. AMDA also offers BFA programs in acting, dance, performing arts, and musical theater. AMDA New York is located at 211 W. 61st St., New York, NY 10023.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Conservatory/University
American National Academy of Performing Arts
10944 Ventura Blvd.
Studio City, CA 91604
Auditing permitted in some cases; Ongoing sessions.
The Academy, directed by Dorothy Barrett, is a nonprofit organization chartered by the state of California. For the past 43 years, it has offered year-round classes in acting, ballet, modern jazz, tap-dancing, improv, cold reading, scene study, observation, pantomime, stage presence, musical comedy, and auditioning. The faculty's seven teachers are professionals in their fields who offer their services without remuneration. The Academy also offers a children's workshop, which is an all-day weekend session for children ages 8-18. Tuition is $80 per month. Audition required. 10944 Ventura Blvd., Studio City.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Andrew Benne
4930 Lankershim Blvd.
N. Hollywood, CA 91601
8-14 students per class; private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions; Work study/internships are available.
Coaching working actors since 1989, Benne specializes in developing actors' uniqueness and authentic power, with a focus on individual training needs to book paid acting work, rooted in the Meisner Technique with Hagen and Adler disciplines.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Andrew Utter - Mother of Invention Acting School
1122 N Gower St
Los Angeles, CA 90038
18 students max per class; Auditing is not permitted; 10-week sessions every 3 months.
Andew Utter brings the acting technique learned at the Yale School of Drama to his courses and workshops. Technique is presented through exercises, discussion, and scene work. Exercises are carefully crafted, purposeful, exciting explorations that are designed to give actors an experiential grasp of the elements. Discussions elaborate on the principles presented in the exercises. Additionally, the technique portions of classes include a bodywork component, designed to help the actor build awareness of habitual physical tensions and the ability to let those tensions go. Utter has worked at several theaters and institutions including the Magic Theater, Playwright's Center of San Francisco, the Yale Repertory Theater, Manhattan Class Company, Mabou Mines New York, Schaubuehne am Lehniner Platz, Odyssey Theater Ensemble (Los Angeles), and Fordham University. He has also directed productions of plays by William Shakespeare, Maria Irene Fornes, Peter Handke, Edward Albee, Eric Overmyer, Wallace Shawn, John Guare, John Webster, Kander and Ebb, Liz Duffy Adams, and Julie McKee, among others. Utter likes to say what he teaches is a leaner, meaner Stanislavsky.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Anne Hulegard
15 students per class max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; 7–9-week sessions
The #1 acting workshop in the South Bay since 1991. Taught by award–winning producer, director, writer, and actor Anne Hulegard. Her workshops include: scene study, improvisation, monologue work, commercial, stage, and camera work (see on YouTube), auditioning, the business of acting, and a showcase performance. "Develop your craft, advance your career, follow your dreams, face your fears, and feed our soul in an inspiring, professional, safe, and fun space."
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Annie Grindlay Studio
Jo-Ann, Studio Director
7461 Beverly Blvd., Ste. 403
Los Angeles, CA 90036
fax: 323-954-1200
14 students per class max; Private coaching available; All levels; Free 90-minute workshop held twice a month; Monthly 4-week intensives and ongoing sessions.
Annie Grindlay is an actress, teacher, and most importantly someone who nurtures the artist within the actor. She began teaching in 1988 and opened her own studio in 2009. Grindlay's approach starts by answering the question "what does it mean to be an artist?" and builds from there. "I feel at times, Hollywood strips away the art and encourages a paint-by-numbers type of approach. I strive to change that." As the major studios continue to go with "sure bet" actors, Grindlay believes it is crucial that actors, now more than ever, walk into audition rooms with their imaginations flowing. She teaches that the writer puts fifty percent on the page and the rest is up to the actor. Actors too are storytellers. Having a specific point of view about everything an actor says allows them to take ownership of the words and make authentic "me" not "my character" choices.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Audition/Cold Reading
Anthony Meindl's Actor's Workshop
Robin Schultz, Office Manager
7817 Melrose Ave., Ste. 3
Los Angeles, CA 90046
10-24 students per class; All levels; Free audit available; Ongoing sessions; Limited work-study available.
AMAW provides ongoing classes to performers of all levels. AMAW is a safe environment where regular casting director and agent workshops offer visibility and business education. Meindl says he strongly diverges from traditional techniques, requiring the actor "to use the totality of who he or she is." The studio philosophy is to keep acting simple. No sense memory. No 'mask work'. No 'objectives on the line!' Just living truthfully in imaginary circumstances, completely in the moment. Meindl has taught Los Angeles actors for the last ten years. AMAW now has schools in New York, Vancouver, B.C., and London. Discover the exciting, new, completely original and "non-method" way of working at AMAW.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Aquila/Morong Studio
1103 North El Centro Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038
12-20 students per class; Advanced and professional levels; teens to adult; One free audit permitted, 8–12 week sessions.
Acting teachers Deborah Aquila and Donna Morong have opened a studio in the heart of Hollywood for serious professional actors to hone their craft for film and TV using techniques developed by Stella Adler and Sanford Meisner.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
The Archibald Studio
Berda Gilmore, Administration Executive
431 N. Sycamore Ave.
Ste. #204
Los Angeles, CA 90048
646-567-7210 / 323-522-4595
12 students per class max; Private coaching available; All levels; Free half-hour for new students; Ongoing sessions.
A realistic approach to the art in the business and the business in the art. Private coaching, classes, and an actors' production workshop in which students produce a short film available in Los Angeles. Coaching in New York is private and by Skype only.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Audition Technique/Cold Reading, Young Performers
The Art of Acting Studio
Johnny Yoder, School Director
1017 North Orange Dr., Orange Square
Los Angeles, CA 90038
fax: 212-689-0087
16 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions; Work-study available for conservatory students only.
Offers an acting technique intensive, script/character breakdown, on-camera film workshops, on-going classes, master classes, a two-year evening conservatory program, a ten-week summer conservatory, and a 5 Week Summer Film Acting Intensive.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
The Art of the One-Person Show
Irene Pinn
Private coaching available; All levels; Weekly workshops.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Barbara Gannen
Studio City, CA
Private coaching only; All levels
Gannen teaches at the Margie Haber Studio (visit website for more info) and at Santa Monica College. She is located in the West Hollywood area and is available for private coaching.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Basil Hoffman
Private coaching only; All levels.
Basil Hoffman is an American actor who has been described by the Los Angeles Times as, "the incomparable character actor," and of whom Robert Redford, who has worked with him four times, has written, "It is a wonderful feeling to trust an actor so completely." He has appeared as The Auctioneer in the Academy-Award winning "The Artist," and is best known for his work, often in classic films, with distinguished film directors including Peter Bogdanovich, Mario Monicelli, Richard Benjamin, Carl Reiner, Peter Medak, and Alan J. Pakula; Academy Award winners Michel Hazanavicius, Steven Spielberg, Delbert Mann, Blake Edwards, Stanley Donen, Sydney Pollack, Ron Howard, and Robert Redford; and many others. He has been a frequent guest lecturer and teacher at prestigious academic institutions including (among many others) the American Film Institute, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and USC. He is a former member of the SAG board of directors and the Fine Arts Advisory Council of Loyola Marymount University. He is the author of the acting textbooks "Cold Reading and How to Be Good at It" and "Acting and How to Be Good at It."
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Berg Studios – Los Angeles Acting Classes
Gregory Berger–Sobeck, Founder and Artistic Director
3245 Casitas Ave., #104
Los Angeles, CA 90039
24 students per class; Private coaching also available; Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced, and Master levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Berg Studios – Los Angeles Acting Classes, Drama School and Repertory Theater, dedicated to cultivating students' talent with a true emphasis on building acting technique. The studio received Backstage honors for Best Scene Study Class, and runner-up for Best Private Coach and Best Monologue Instructor. The studio's founder, Gregory Berger-Sobeck, is a graduate from the renowned Yale School of Drama, along with the rest of the studio's faculty. Classes are conveniently scheduled during both day and evening hours - focusing on scene study, monologues, cold reading, television, film, and theatrical. The studio offers a supportive environment that challenges students to refine their talent and maximize their individual potential. Berg Studios teaches a systematic approach for student's to identify and personalize their characters and scenes - providing them with a repeatable step-by-step process to ensure results in their auditions and roles. With a wide array of specialty workshops, exceptional instructors and dedicated students; Berg Studios regularly attracts industry professionals to scour its classes for talent - giving their actors the opportunity to build valuable connections for professional growth.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Bernard Hiller Acting & Success Studio
Dustin Kerls or Sandra Da Sousa, Assistants
14366 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
www.bernardhiller.com / masterclass video: https://vimeo.com/72158865
20-25 students per class; Private one-on-one sessions held in Beverly Hills; Intermediate, advanced, and professional levels (some beginners); Auditing is not permitted; Introductory private acting session required; Ongoing sessions, plus international master classes year-round.
Bernard Hiller teaches the latest film-acting techniques, helps actors overcome blocks, and also helps design a plan for achieving success. Bernard believes, "that success in show business is not an accident." Only the right training with help you discover your talent and your authenticity. He has been an acting and dialect coach for more than 30 years. He trains professionals at his studio in Los Angeles and teaches his sought-after Master classes around the world including in London, Mumbai, Rome, and Berlin. He was the acting teacher on the jury of four hit reality shows in Britain, Germany, Israel and American television. He says his techniques "teach actors to discover their unique quality and overcome self-defeating behavior. He will help actors map out their strategy for a long and successful career. Actors will learn his revolutionary techniques using scene study, movement, and personal exercises." He has started many careers in Hollywood including Cameron Diaz, Emma Roberts, Jeff Goldblum, Chace Crawford's and many others. He has also appeared alongside George Clooney, Kate Hudson, and Michelle Pfeiffer to mention only a few. The studio also offers film/TV casting workshops and commercial classes. You can read his book, "Stop Acting Start Living" on Amazon.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, On-Camera Technique, Business of Acting
Beverly Hills Playhouse
254 S. Robertson Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Auditing permitted with special permission.
The BHP is one of L.A.'s oldest and most respected acting schools. They offer ongoing intensive scene study classes to instruct aspiring professionals in the areas of acting, career administration, and attitude. "Instruction focuses on identifying the goal of honest, authentic, moment-to-moment, behavior-oriented acting work, and finding each actor's individual way into that work, rather than on rote enforcement of a certain school of acting technique," says executive director Allen Barton. "High-quality, well-rehearsed scene study is emphasized, with exercises few and far between."
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Beverly Long
Debralynn Findon, Business Partner
Moorpark Studios
11425 Moorpark St.
Studio CIty, CA 91602
10-12 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; 6-week sessions; Internships available.
Long has worked in casting since the mid-1970s, and has worked as an actor, agent, and teacher. Probably best-known for her work with James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause and her recurring role on Father Knows Best, Long strongly believes in "being there for those she cares about." Classes in improv, commercials, television, and film are small, and everyone works on-camera two to three times each week.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Bill Howey Acting Studio
Carla Howey, Manager
855 N. Hollywood Way
Burbank, CA 91505
14 students per class; private coaching available; Auditing is permitted; Beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels, age 18 and up; Ongoing sessions.
Howey's workshops train actors to bring their own personality to their characters and are designed for actors to uncover acting problems and provide solutions. Both workshops and private coaching are based on the principles of his book, "The Actor's Menu: A Character Preparation Handbook." Actors work on scenes or monologues that are handed out. No outside-of-class rehearsal required. Audition-style Scene Study.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Bob Burgos
phone: 323-653-5947
Private coaching only; All levels.
An award–winning film-TV-theater writer-director and a member of the Actors Studio Directors Unit, Burgos has worked on- and Off-Broadway and in theaters across the country. He is currently an adjunct professor at UCLA and Chapman University, has taught at NYU, Art Center in Pasadena, Loyola Marymount University, and has been an on-set acting coach on numerous films and television shows. Burgos offers private coaching for auditions and training.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Brian Mulligan
Private coaching only; All levels.
Mulligan offers one-on-one coaching for TV, film, and theater auditions. Currently teaching acting and improvisation at California State University, Long Beach and Crossroads School in Santa Monica. A former instructor at NYC's Riverside Shakespeare Academy and founder of NYC's Impro!, he studied acting with Uta Hagen, Meisner Technique with William Alderson, and improvisation with Keith Johnstone. "My goal in coaching is to distill the scene into a simple, specific action, then give it an emotional punch," says Mulligan, who accepts new and experienced actors.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Brian Reise Acting Studios
7954 Fountain Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
fax: 323-874-5593
Class size varies; Beginner to working professional level; An orientation session is required for admission; Ongoing, month-to-month enrollment.
Acting classes at the studio specialize in cold reading for beginners through professional levels. The focus of the classes is on the reality of the acting business, teaching actors how to develop their acting skills so they can audition more effectively, book jobs, get agents, and guide themselves in their careers. Actors work on scenes geared toward film and television. Ongoing classes are held in the afternoons and evenings. Bimonthly orientations are held for admittance into classes. Everyone is welcome.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Business of Acting
Bruce Ducat
1213 Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91506
14 MAX students per class; Advanced and professional levels; Auditing is permitted by appointment; 11-week sessions.
The focus of concentration on the work we do is the development of a personal technique. While actors are routinely exposed to the techniques of Stanislavsky, Meisner, Hagen, and Adler, here they are also introduced to the lesser-known but equally effective techniques of Keith Johnstone, Viola Spolin, Peter Brook, and, of course, Bruce Ducat. We strive to help them find their own unique voice, a technique that will serve their acting. They learn and grow from exposure to a variety of resources and experiences. Most sessions culminate in demo classes which are usually attended by casting directors, agents, producers, and other working professionals who provide the student with feedback on their work from their unique perspective in the industry.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Audition Technique/Cold Reading, Young Performers
Bruce Glover: "Acting on the Right (Instinctual) Side of Your Brain"
West Los Angeles
see IMDb, YouTube, Facebook
Small classes of 10 or private coaching; All levels.
You might remember this veteran actor as Bond villain Mr. Wint in "Diamonds Are Forever," Jack's pal Duffy in "Chinatown," or Grady in the three "Walking Tall"s. "I've been there. I help actors break out," explains Glover. "I teach techniques, inner and outer, for the real world of professional acting without forgetting it's an art. Art should be scary and unpredictable. Great actors move and change even as the camera is rolling. They surprise as they allow themselves to be surprised. I will show you a way into dangerous acting." Former Newspaper Enterprise Association reporter Dick Kleiner wrote, "Glover may turn out to be the best, most original heavy of the '70s." Christopher Walken said of Glover, "Bruce helped me a great deal in my early days." Class or private coaching. Cold reading, auditions, tapes, accents, career counseling.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Bruce Katzman
12 students max; Private coaching available; Intermediate and advanced levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Katzman has been teaching since 1988, conducting workshops in New York, Los Angeles, England, Denmark, and Argentina. His work is founded in the techniques taught at the Yale School of Drama, where he earned his MFA, and in his earlier studies with Stella Adler. His classes are limited in size, and they focus on the major plays of Anton Chekhov and other great playwrights. The thrust of the work is script analysis, character breakdown, and actions and objectives. He also offers private coaching in Shakespeare, modern plays, preparation for auditions, and coaching for films. He directed the critically acclaimed production of Uncle Vanya (2002) and King Lear (2003) at the MET Theatre. Katzman is also a faculty member at Stella Adler Studio-LA.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Candy Kaniecki Herman
13273 Ventura Blvd., Ste. 104
Studio City, CA 91604
All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Longtime celebrity coach Kaniecki conducts audition technique and cold-reading classes and offers private coaching. Semesters are 10 weeks, ongoing, with entry at any time. One free introductory class/audit is offered. The initial series is $400.00 for 10 classes, and discounts are available for future 10-packs of classes.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Carmen Milito
Private coaching only; Exceptions for scene study when partner is necessary; All levels.
Carmen began her career as an actress in New York City in 1971 when she appeared in a La Mama/Experimental Theatre Company production with a young Nick Nolte. She went on to create a workshop for troubled inner city youth in her downtown Brooklyn neighborhood, "Theatre of The Street," where she encouraged kids to tell their stories non-verbally through sounds and movement. Moving to Los Angeles in 1977, Carmen began studying her craft with The Actors Studio's Salome Jens. She landed roles on TV, appeared in indie films, did voiceovers for DIC, and continued on stage. But as more and more fellow actors expressed their interest in having her direct them in scenes, and with the additional encouragement of Lonny Chapman, Carmen made the transition from working actor to working director. Since 1994, Carmen has directed and been nominated for two Ovation Awards for her one-woman show, "An Evening With Marlene," based on the Marlene Dietrich Autobiography, "Show and Tell," "Witness For The Prosecution," "The Vagina Monologues," "Marty," and more. Carmen has taught Scene Study and Script Analysis at The Lee Strasberg Theater Institute in Hollywood and at Theatre East and now coaches privately. She is a member of The Actors Studio Playwright/Directors Unit, The Lincoln Center Directors Lab West, and Women In Film.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Caryn's Space for Actors
Caryn West
7506 Lexington Ave.
W. Hollywood, CA 90046
323-876-0394 (office); 818-693-4625 (cell)
8-14 students per class; Private coaching available; Intermediate, advanced, and professional levels; Auditing is permitted; Classes in late January–July, late August–December; Scene Study is month to month with 8-week minimum; Audition intensives offered year round; Work-study is sometimes permitted.
Caryn West coaches many working actors and stars and is on many Agent referral lists. She is the only teacher selected for both the East and West coasts by Backstage readers as a "favorite Audition Coach" in the Reader's Choice Awards. Our business is changing at lightning speed, and Caryn helps you stay abreast of the trends but also shares insights and practical tools to keep deepening your craft. Out-of-work casting directors' workshops now abound. Some are great networking. But don't blow your intro there or your money in the wrong places. Caryn preps you for both the real working audition and the CD workshop environment, as well as the increasing requests for self-taping. Audition skills emphasis is on preparation, in-depth genre-specific script analysis, the new Internet "Pre Read tools," tips for effective on-camera auditions, goal setting and passion, the essential uses of breath, eliminating self-sabotage and nerves, effortlessness, and the "freedom to play." There are many handouts for future guidance and reference. Also teaches advanced Scene Study with co-teacher/Boston Court co-artistic director, Jessica Kubzansky. Private coaching and camera taping seven days a week in her WeHo studio.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Cathleen Leslie
Small classes; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing sessions.
No audition is required but a one-on-one meeting is! This is not about judging an audition but finding out about a prospective students real passion and commitment to learning a craft and working hard! Then we might discover a God-given talent and develop it!
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Catlin Adams Acting Lab
Los Angeles, CA
Limited class size; Private coaching available; All levels; Working audit permitted; Ongoing sessions; Monday professional class; Thursday craft class.
An award–winning director and actor, Adams teaches class for all levels on Mon. nights and Thu. mornings at the Elephant Theatre in Hollywood. This intensive instruction focuses on developing the actor's craft. Adams employs diverse techniques that allow actors to learn how to direct themselves. Classes cover improvisation, sensory work, camera technique exercises, monologue, and scene study. All classes are taught by Adams. Students work in every class. Class size is strictly limited. Private coaching is available. Specializes in taking the actor to the next level of their work.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Changing Perceptions - Theatre by the Blind & Physically Disabled
Greg Shane, Executive Director
11777 San Vicente Blvd., Ste. 502
Los Angeles, CA 90049
10–15 students per class; All levels; Auditing is permitted; 16-week sessions; Work-study and internships available.
Year-round program of drama workshops and performances serving visually and/or physically disabled adults ages 18-plus. Weekly workshops in basic acting technique, improvisation, theater games, movement, voice, emotional strengthening and tuning, character analysis, and script interpretation are offered free of charge. Original works are developed and rehearsed by theater company members in weekly rehearsals. Theater company tours an original play designed to educate the public on disability issues with public performances each year.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Chekhov Studio International
Hollywood, CA
12 students per class max; Private coaching available; Intermediate, advanced, and professional levels; Auditing permitted in some cases; 1–2 month intensives year round and ongoing; Work-study available in certain cases.
International acting coach, Marjo-Riikka Makela is gaining worldwide attention for her successful acting studio in Los Angeles. Currently, Chekhov Studio International is the only studio based in Los Angeles to offer thorough, in-depth training in the Michael Chekhov Technique, and is the go-to studio for international actors looking to expand their careers to Hollywood. Ms. Makela founded Chekhov Studio International with the goal of training a serious ensemble of actors under the discipline, dedication, and inspiration central to the Michael Chekhov Technique. Many professional actors have claimed the technique as integral to their craft, including Johnny Depp, Anthony Hopkins, Jack Nicholson, Clint Eastwood, and Lloyd Bridges.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Chris Jorie
Burbank, CA
Private coaching only - NOW COACHING WORLDWIDE VIA SKYPE; All levels.
"As a director, writer, and acting teacher, Jorie has worked with a number of distinguished talents in 38 years of experience in television, film, and theater including - Ryan Gosling, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Keri Russell, and Tony Lucca. He has been an acting and dialogue coach on shows for Paramount, TNT, Disney, Nickelodeon, Buena Vista Television, and ABC, and has taught acting extensively throughout the United States. Chris is currently a script and artistic consultant for Academy Award and Emmy Nominee Mary McDonnell, currently starring on TNT's 'Major Crimes.'"
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Clair Sinnett
531 Main St., Ste. 1135
El Segundo, CA 90245
fax: 310-414-0010
20 students per weekend intensive; 6-10 students per workshop; All levels; workshops for children and adults; Auditing is permitted except for weekend intensives; Ongoing sessions.
work study/internships available:
Sinnett has been an actor, SAG agent, casting director, and faculty member of universities and performing arts schools. She offers intensive two-day TV/film audition and marketing workshops, based on her book Actors Working-The Actor's Guide to Marketing Success. She also offers ongoing services in designing marketing plans, promotional tools, strategies, and ongoing TV/film acting and commercial acting workshops.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Business of Acting
Clay Banks Film Acting Studio International
Clay Banks, Head Coach
10061 Riverside Dr.
Toluca Lake, CA 91601
14 students per class average; All levels, but must be serious about the craft; Auditing is permitted by appointment; Ongoing and specialty workshops; Work-study/internships available when there are openings.
What exactly is a film director ultimately looking for? Do you have powerful, effective, and truthful moments in your auditions? Do you deliver honest emotional intensity in an ECU (extreme close-up)? This on-camera, no-nonsense acting, and audition technique is geared specifically for film and TV acting. All students work every class. Recorded scenes on flash drives each class for maximum playback review reinforcement. Five classes available each week when openings are available. Go to our full-content website for more information on the studio, CBSI, as well as Veteran Acting & Biz Coach Clay Banks.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Cliff Weissman
Acting Instructor/Audition Coach
Santa Clarita/Los Angeles/World-wide via Skype
One-on-one coaching, 10 students maximum per group classes; All levels; Sessions are as needed or monthly.
Serving Santa Clarita, Los Angeles, and actors World-wide via Skype, Cliff has taught and coached actors for over 30 years. Currently on faculty at New York Film Academy, Cliff is also a working actor. His numerous credits include "CSI: NY," "NCIS," "Criminal Minds," "24," "The Shield," "7th Heaven," and "Beverly Hills 90210." Call for more information and rates.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Cyb Barnstable
12 students per class max; private coaching available; Beginning and intermediate levels; Auditing not permitted; 5-week sessions (with opt out afterward) and ongoing.
Barnstable, who has studied at Herbert Berghof Studio in New York, has been teaching for more than 20 years in Los Angeles. She offers a "positive, supportive, and challenging" program, as well as a "fun and practical approach to getting work." She teaches techniques applicable to commercials, cold reading, scene study, monologues, auditioning, marketing the actor, and improv, explaining, "I believe in finding your acting strengths, adjusting your weaknesses, and giving you a chance to work a lot in every class." You will have on-camera work and consultation on photo and résumé. She is recognized and recommended by top agents in the business. She has filmed more than 100 TV commercials, and has worked in all aspects of the acting industry. Private coaching as well as classes.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Daniel Chodos
10-20 students per class; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Classes by sessions; Work study/internships available.
Chodos, a veteran of stage, screen, and TV, was a dialogue coach for two decades in Hollywood and has taught at Dartmouth College, Temple University, and Pasadena City College. Class offers traditional scene study with a focus on stage technique, on-camera study, and periodic showcasing.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Daniel Henning
The Blank Theatre Company
All levels; Auditing permitted in some cases; Classes by sessions.
Artistic director-producer of the award–winning Blank Theatre Company, Henning teaches an ongoing scene study class at the 2nd Stage Theatre. He says, "This class focuses on unlocking your hidden potential through script and character analysis, voice and relaxation work, and applying the practicality of the work to get the job." Productions directed by Henning have been honored with numerous Ovation Awards, L.A. Drama Critics Circle Awards, Backstage West Garland Awards, and L.A. Weekly Awards. His actors have won many of these honors, including Dennis Christopher ("Breaking the Code"), Susan Egan ("Hello Again"), Peter Van Norden ("Loot"), Marcia Mitzman-Gaven ("Chess"), Nora Dunn and Gregory Jbara ("Precious Sons"), and more. Henning has directed many other noted actors, including Sarah Michelle Gellar, Noah Wyle, Molly Shannon, Richard Kline, Marcia Strassman, Nicholas Brendon, Daisy Eagan, Jeremy Sisto, Michelle Pawk, Douglas Sills, James Marsters, Kellie Martin, Sally Kellerman, Ricki Lake, and Edward Asner.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
David Kagen's School of Film Acting
Gina or David Kagen
4629 Van Nuys Blvd., Ste. D
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
12 students per class max; Private coaching available; All levels for children and adults; One-on-one session with Kagen for interested students; Ongoing sessions.
The Carnegie Mellon–educated Kagen has been teaching and coaching around the world and on movie sets for more than 35 years. His highly successful students include Ted Danson, Alec Baldwin, and Giancarlo Esposito. He now offers ongoing on-camera classes in which students are guaranteed to work twice every class. His teaching faculty includes experienced working actors with professional acting training from Carnegie Mellon, NYU's graduate program at Tisch School of the Arts, and Yale School of Drama, among other acting conservatories. He also offers private coaching. Acceptance is by a one-and-a-half-hour paid on-camera working session.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
David Nathan Schwartz
Private audition and on-set coaching only; All levels, teens and above; Offers free phone consultation.
"Like any other muscle, the acting muscle has to be continually exercised or it atrophies," says Schwartz. "This actors' gym focuses on developing and honing a set of acting tools to get noticed, stay sharp, and most importantly get the job." Each week, students work on current TV and film scenes; by combining an eclectic mix of techniques, Schwartz says he helps the actor develop and define his or her own set of flexible and practical approaches to acting and the auditioning process. Past and current students include Emmy Award winners, working actors, theater actors adjusting to film/TV work, and beginners. Past or present faculty member of L.A. County High School for the Arts, Santa Monica College, L.A. Theatre Sports, American Conservatory Theatre, American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Hollywood Acting Corps, and others. Classes, private audition coaching, and on-set coaching are available.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Audition Technique/Cold Reading
David S. Zimmerman - Meet the Biz
Los Angeles, CA
Small class size; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing permitted by special permission; Ongoing sessions.
"Meet The Biz" is looking to make acceptance of diversity a commonplace. By bringing the producer, director, actor, writer, editor, technician, casting director, agent, teacher, life coach, ability, and disability together, we become more well-rounded as artists. Each class explores different areas of acting, including but not limited to: scene study, monologues, improv, connection, cold reading, and learning from the pros. Classes are not just for actors, they are for everyone in the industry to get together, to meet, and to learn from each other. Founder David Zimmerman has been coaching actors and putting together workshops for almost a decade. As a personal coach, he has been hired by production companies such as FX's ground breaking series "Nip/Tuck" and the Weinstein Company's feature film, "Unknown." As a casting director his credits include the Showtime pilots and Star Price Productions' "Project X" and "Shadow Point," as well as the popular series "Penn & Teller's Bullshit." He has also cast several features including: "Fighting Words," and the Joey Travolta project "Spud."
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Business of Acting, Audition Technique/Cold Reading
The Dee Wallace Acting Studio
Limited enrollment and Private coaching; Online classes available; All levels; Classes by sessions and ongoing.
Wallace's acting career includes memorable roles in such films as "E.T.," "Cujo," and "10," and work on such TV productions as "Sons and Daughters," "Crossing Jordan," "Cold Case," and "The Laci Peterson Story." She has been teaching acting for 10 years. Her classes have limited enrollment; loosely based on the techniques of Meisner and Charles Conrad, they focus on moving actors through blocks that stand in their way. Master classes only.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Deryn Warren
Small classes; Private coaching available; Professional level; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Warren, a film director-writer-actor and author of the popular book "How to Make Your Audience Fall in Love with You" (with a chapter by Shurtleff), offers ongoing classes in audition and film/stage technique. Says Warren, "I teach how to risk, how to use yourself in the situation and not a character, and how to rise above the crowd by making exciting choices. I have directors and casting directors calling me to cast my students because they are so good. My class is recommended by the head of HBO casting, among others." An article in the L.A. Times on the class said, "Her comments are dead-eye accurate." The small classes include script analysis, improv, and cold readings. "You work at least three times a night," she says. She currently offers an advanced class in the Mid-Wilshire area - only $270 for six weeks. "It is one of the less expensive classes in town because my students won't let me raise my prices," she says. She also coaches actors for auditions. "My students tell me to emphasize that this class improves much more than just your audition skills, as it teaches you to make exciting choices."
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Diana Castle
Diana Castle and Steve Tietsort
The Imagined Life™
5615 San Vicente Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90019
40 students per class max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Interview/audition required; Ongoing sessions.
Diana Castle has been teaching and coaching actors for 23 years. Her ongoing scene study class emphasizes "a creative state of mind and the use of your empathetic imagination." Nine classes a week are available, with three taught by Castle, three by Faline England, and two by Steve Tietsort. Class size is limited to 40. An Interview/Audition is required for admittance to the studio. No Auditing. Diana Castle's classes and private coachings are widely referred by industry professionals.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Diane Christiansen
11650 Riverside Dr. #3
Studio City, CA 91602
6–30 students per class; Private and on-set coaching available; All levels; Auditing permitted at $20 per class only once; Ongoing sessions in N. Hollywood and by semesters in Valencia; We offer work study and have an annual scholarship at N. Hollywood location.
Christiansen is currently acting/life coach on the TLC reality show "Faking It" and was recently a guest director at CalArts. She is a master acting coach who offers professional classes and private coaching for kids, teens, and adults in Studio City and Valencia. If you are in and out of town, ask her about the "Pilot Hopping" package, designed to help you save while here for auditions. Christiansen says she has a dazzling list of alumni and also coaches on-set. She offers Biz Kidz, ScreenTeens, Reel Actors, and supportive life coaching sessions for actors and other artists. Winner of the 2011 Backstage L.A. Readers' Choice Award for favorite acting classes for kids and in 2012 for Best acting classes for kids and teens.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Dig Wayne
10 students per class max; Private coaching available; Auditing on a pre-approved basis.
Wayne is a former instructor at the Lee Strasberg Institute and a life member of the Actors Studio. The winner of Britain's Olivier award for "Five Guys Named Moe," he has acted in numerous film, television, and stage productions. He won an NAACP Theatre Award for Best Supporting Male in August Wilson's "Fences," and was an Ovation award nominee for the role as well. His ongoing classes focus on the study and practice of the Method, stressing relaxation, animal work, and sensory exercises. Actors are guided to discover the person they really are and trained to bring that person to any given stage, film, or television role.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Dino Ladki
W. Hollywood, CA
Private coaching only; Intermediate, advanced, and professional levels.
Casting director Dino S. Ladki (former head of casting, scripted series/MTV, independent/Carsey-Werner, indie films) offers perspective from "the other side of the ropes." Ladki's coaching is designed to let actors in on not only what he would be looking for if he were casting the part but also what the producers are likely to be looking for. He specializes in audition coaching, helping actors, as he puts it, "perfect their auditions before they go in to read." Sessions are $50 per hour.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
The Director's Perspective
Elizabeth Payne
The Pico Playhouse
10508 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
The Director's Perspective is a different kind of acting class where you train with a master acting coach, rehearse and shoot with a professional director, then workshop your scenes with a monthly industry guest. For a list of past guests, visit www.thedirectorsperspective.com/Directors_Perspective/About_our_Guests.html.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Doug Warhit On–Camera Cold Reading and Scene Study
Doug Warhit, Acting Coach
Castaway Studios
8899 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
16 students per class; Beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Warhit's classes are specifically designed to prepare the actor for work in film and television. All classes are videotaped and audits are welcome. Once a month an industry professional (agent, casting director, or manager) is invited to observe students' work and sit for a Q&A. Classes for beginners through working professionals include scene study, cold reading, technique, and improvisation. In addition to group classes, a four-week one-on-one camera workshop is offered that covers cold reading, camera technique, prerequisites for a great audition, and marketing of the actor. Warhit is the author of "Book the Job: 143 Things Actors Need to Know to Make It Happen" and "The Actors Audition Checklist".
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Duane Whitaker's Film Actors Workshop
Studio City, CA =
Advanced levels; Ongoing sessions.
Duane Whitaker is currently teaching a film-acting workshop at the Jeremiah Comey Studios in Studio City. He brings years of practical experience as a working actor-writer-director to this workshop. The class is designed to teach a realistic and usable approach to the craft of screen acting. His credits include "Pulp Fiction," "From Dusk Till Dawn 2," and the latest "Project Greenlight" movie, "Feast." All work is on-camera.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Eitner and Taini - Scene Study Class
Don Eitner and Jayne Taini
5215 Lankershim Blvd., Studio B
N. Hollywood, CA
10 students per class max; Private coaching available; Some experience required; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Don Eitner is the founder and artistic director of American Theatre Arts Conservatory Theatre and a member of the Directors Guild of America. Jayne Taini was a member of American Theatre Arts and an associate artistic director of Triad Ensemble in Seattle, and is a member of the Classical Theatre Lab and Circle X. She has been teaching for 24 years. Class work will emphasize the development and personalization of characters written by exciting and challenging playwrights. "Enrich your work by adding depth, economy, and truthfulness," they say. Ongoing classes are 7-11 p.m. at 5215 Lankershim Blvd., Studio B (upstairs), in North Hollywood. $125 per month; class limited to 16 students. Students are expected to work outside of class with their partner. Time is also spent on cold readings, play evaluation, and monologues. "We want to work with challenging material, so that your skills are honed up so that when you are given material with 'not a lot going on,' you can make it fly with your strong choices," they add. Eitner and Taini co-authored Symbols-Enriching Personalization for the Actor. Some experience required; students at similar levels will be partnered. Private coaching available.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Elephant Theatrical - Training Lab
6322 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
Elephant Stageworks is home to five working theaters, providing a unique opportunity for a practical acting education. With instructors who are working actors and directors with years of experience in the L.A. theater and entertainment scene, actors are offered a professional and thoughtful approach to learning their craft. Teachers of classes and workshops include Producing Artistic Director Dave Fofi, Patrick Pankhurst, Matt Huhn, Chris Game, and Debra De Liso, as well as guest artists and industry pros.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Stage Combat/Stunts
Elizabeth Gamza
10-12 students per class; Private and on-set coaching also available; All levels; Auditing is required before joining a class; Ongoing sessions.
Gamza says, "I have never met a human being who wasn't magnificent. If you're not as magnificent, full, and rich 'onstage' as you are offstage, something's not right." She "provides a safe environment for you to take risks; learn powerful, personal script analysis, and to leave your mark on your work." Her goal is "confident, self-sufficient actors who can do their job; they might collaborate with a director or coach, but they don't rely on them. I teach actors to use all the stuff people tell them to 'leave outside the door' for strong, satisfying auditions that get the job." Classes focus on scene study, cold reading, and audition technique, and she offers private and on-set coaching for all levels of actors. Actors work every class. Auditing allowed.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Elizabeth Mestnik Acting Studio
7600 Melrose Ave., Unit J
Los Angeles, CA 90046
16 students per class; All levels; Auditing for some classes permitted; 4-week workshops, 12-week classes, and 9-month programs; Work study available after 6 months of enrollment.
EMAS is a studio that offers a variety of coursework while maintaining personal attention to each acting student. Classes are kept small, and students work in every class. According to Mestnik, it is a vibrant community for serious acting students at any stage of their careers. Recommended by NBC Casting's Talent Development, this boutique studio offers ongoing classes in the Meisner technique, scene study, and beginning acting. Workshops are offered in on-camera auditioning, commercials, yoga, voice, and improv, taught by some of Los Angeles' top industry professionals. "It's for anyone who wants to invest in their craft to become a well-skilled, unique, exciting, and ultimately working actor," says Mestnik, an award–winning actor, director, and teacher who has coached such actors as Ed Asner, Fred Savage, and Sharif Atkins. Mestnik describes this as "a dynamic home for actors, directors, writers, and teachers, with an emphasis on personal attention and developing the actor from basic skills to career management."
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Ellen Gerstein - Acting Workshop
Small classes; Private coaching available; All ages; Interview required; Ongoing sessions.
"Actors need to make their work as specific as possible–to create what goes on before they say the line, as well as the subtext," says actor-writer-director-producer Gerstein, a member of the Actors Studio's actors unit and the writer-director unit. Her classes and coaching include acting technique, scene study, cold reading/auditioning, and in-depth script analysis. Her professional classes are kept small, and students work every week. Actors are encouraged to make strong choices and to take risks. Students are accepted by private interview. Gerstein also teaches a children's class and offers private coaching for all ages.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Eric Morris Actors Workshop
5657 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
20 students average per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Free audit available; Ongoing sessions.
Morris' system is based on the Method, but, as Morris puts it, it "goes light-years beyond" the original Stanislavsky system. Indeed the process he teaches is of his own creation. A teacher for more than 45 years, Morris is the author of seven books about acting. He teaches three classes each week; each is between five and six hours long. All classes are kept intimate and small so that every actor works in each class. Cost is $250 per month. A complimentary audit is offered. Morris also offers weekend workshops and private lessons.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Eugenia Buerklin
Los Angeles, CA
www.eugeniabuerklin.com and www.lumin8.us
6 students per class max; Private coaching available; Professional level.
Eugenia Buerklin is an award–winning director, television series coach, and the developer of an innovative acting technique based on the "Walking in Your Shoes" mind-body process.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Young performers.
Fabiana Medici
323-930-8986 or 310-869-1891
15 students per class max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; First class is free; Ongoing sessions; Will work with actors who are struggling financially.
Medici has coached directors, theater companies, and television casts, internationally and in the United States. She helps actors develop their own method of work, aiding in their self-confidence and empowerment. Also coaches writers and people developing one-person shows.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Fawnda McMahan - Commercial Break
310 Casting Studios
2329 Purdue Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
Private coaching only; All levels.
Success in this industry comes from skill, confidence, and knowledge. Commercial Break focuses on improving all three, teaching you how to audition at your full potential and embrace an outlook for long-term success by consistently getting callbacks. Coaching takes place in a full-time casting facility, which creates the feeling of an audition scenario, so you're more prepared out in the real world. Private commercial audition coaching for adults and teens. Industry referral only.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Commercials/Voiceover
The Figura Studio
Maria Louisa Figura
All levels; Classes by sessions.
Aside from scene study and audition classes, Maria Louisa offers a variety of classes and workshops such as voiceover and commercial auditioning from some of the best agents, casting directors, and working professionals. Students are encouraged to develop ownership of their careers and to show up for classes on time, well rehearsed, and with a sense of courageous excitement about the work.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, On-Camera Technique, Commercials/Voiceover
First Take Acting Program
Nancy Berwid
11967 Ventura Blvd.
Studio City, CA 91604
15-30 students per class; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Nancy Berwid's First Take Acting Program provides a holistic approach to acting. Along with a Method that students can use to hone their craft, Nancy provides a keen eye for logic and a sensitivity to human behavior as well as the human heart. She possesses a great understanding for the human experience, which she uses to guide her students in performing their scenes as true to life as possible. Belonging to a family closely involved with the Hollywood industry, students can benefit from learning the business aspects of acting as well, a knowledge imperative for any actor desiring to break into the competitive L.A. film and television market. Nancy's candor, coaching, and genuine interest in the careers, lives and well being of her students have strongly contributed to the ongoing success and growth of her students. The First Take holistic approach prepares actors for work in film and TV by combining acting and audition technique, as well as instruction in the marketing and networking side of the business. Offers ongoing classes on scene-study and audition technique for all levels. Personal attention given to every student.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
The Frisch Studio
Peter Frisch
c/o The Promenade Playhouse
1404 Third Street Promenade
Santa Monica, CA 90401
12 students per class max; Advanced/Professional level; Auditing is permitted; 2–4 month long sessions, Work-study offered only to repeat students in need.
Peter Frisch has run Carnegie Mellon drama, with tenures at Juilliard, Boston University, Harvard, etc.; directed 160 productions in the NY regional theater; produced 150 hours of network television for CBS and Fox; and directed award–winning film. Approach is specific, constructive, and imagination-based, culled from many sources but shaped into clear approaches to preparation, rehearsal, and auditions. Priority is on specific skills and individual progress. Students are encouraged to approach their work boldly and with a spirited sense of play. Emphasis on risk-taking and transformation. Everybody works every time. Audition and interview required. "The method that Peter taught is still one that I use today — he gave me the tools to access, emotionally and intellectually, very dense material." — Julianne Moore.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Gene Bua - Acting for Life
3435 W. Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank, CA
Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Bua offers ongoing morning and evening classes at the Banshee Theater in Burbank, specializing in deep emotional work for those who "dare to become more powerful in their art and in their lives." Bua says, "What I give is immediate and spontaneous, and has come from my work with actors as a successful actor, teacher, and director." Associate instructors include Toni Bull Bua, Emilio Borelli, and Alan Feinstein. Bua is the award–winning director of the New York International Film Festival winner 348, and director-composer and cowriter of the award–winning musical Second Wind. Classes are filled mostly through industry recommendations or by interview and audition; private coaching when available.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Gloria Gifford Conservatory (the GGC) for the Performing Arts
Tahlia McCollum, Administrator
287 S. Robertson Blvd. #124
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Private coaching available; Beginner, advanced, and professional levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing sessions.
"We train professionals," says Gifford, who shares more than 30 years of experience as a teacher and more than 40 years as a working actor with six years teaching directors and writers at the American Film Institute. Among her many successful students: Patty Jenkins ("Monster"), Brian Dannelly ("Saved"), Taboo (Black Eyed Peas), Carlos Bernard ("24"), Gary Dourdan ("CSI: Crime Scene Investigation"), Kyle Massey ("Cory in the House"), Efren Ramirez ("Napoleon Dynamite"), Max Greenfield ("New Girl"), Gideon Raff (creator of "Homeland") and Bianca Lawson ("Pretty Little Liars"). The GGC offers advanced scene study, scene study for intermediate and beginning students, voice production, speech, cold reading on-camera, musical theater classes, and celebrity speakers and directors. The GGC Company also produces plays, weekly staged readings, films, and showcases. Gloria rehabilitates careers. Private coaching is available.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
The Gobetti-Ormeny Acting Studio
c/o The Victory Theatre Center
3326 Victory Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91505
fax: 818-766-7065
16 students per class max; Beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels; Free audit required; Ongoing sessions; Work-study/internships available.
Maria Gobetti is a working director, producer, and actor with more than 25 years of teaching experience. A well-known director, she has directed the majority of plays at the Victory Theatre Center — many of them garnering critic's choice reviews from the major critics. She is a member of the DGA, with film and TV directing credits. Along with Tom Ormeny, she is co-artistic director of the Victory. The Victory's opening presentation was the world premiere of Beth Henley's The Miss Firecracker Contest, written when Henley was Gobetti's student. Ormeny is the 2001 Ovation Award winner for leadership in theater. Gobetti and Ormeny teach ongoing acting classes, including a beginning class on basic Meisner techniques, a film and theater scene study class for intermediate and advanced students, and an advanced character and comedy class with attention to on-camera techniques. "With two working theaters at the Victory Theatre Center, the emphasis is on the ability to realize moment-to-moment relationships in-depth and quickly," Gobetti says. Ron Howard has said, "They do the finest work as coaches and in their theaters."
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Gobetti/Ormeny Acting Studio at The Victory
Maria Gobetti, Artistic Director
c/o The Victory Theatre
3326 W. Victory Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91505
12-14 students per class; All levels; Free audit required; Ongoing sessions; Work-study/internships sometimes available.
Working closely with her students, Maria Gobetti teaches the Meisner basics technique on a group and individual basis — while also employing available video facilities. Her classes are small, allowing only the best and most dedicated actors. This size is advantageous in that it gives all the actors an opportunity to work in every class. "Learning how to act is hard work. You have to learn many techniques. But once you've mastered a technique, you can begin to really fly as an artist," she says. The course of study includes basic, intermediate and advanced classes, cold reading and commercials plus an interview technique class. Gobetti also combines teaching with an active career as both a producer and director.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Audition Technique/Cold Reading, Commercials/Voiceover
Harry Mastrogeorge Professional Workshop
Los Angeles, CA
25 students per class max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted, free one-hour orientation held monthly; Ongoing sessions.
Mastrogeorge, who has been teaching acting since 1956, believes acting is a state of mind: innocence, imagination, and vulnerability. Classes are held at the Hudson Theater in Los Angeles.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Helene Kress - Hollywood Acting Coach
Private coaching only; All levels.
Helene Kress, star of VH1's "I Know My Kid's a Star," offers private acting lessons that focus on fully understanding character, mastering an audition, and booking the job.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Audition Technique/Cold Reading
Hollywood Acting Workshop
Los Angeles/Orange County, CA
12-16 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions; Internships available.
Provides casting-director workshops, talent agent showcases and professional-level television, commercial, and film-acting classes for adults and teenagers. Workshops and classes available: "on camera" acting, cold reading, auditioning technique, scene study, script analysis, commercial auditions, improvisation, soap-opera technique, hosting, monologues, voiceover, etc.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Commercials/Voiceover, On-Camera Technique
Hollywood Actors Studio
Eric Stone, Founder
8879 W. Pico Blvd., Ste. 4
Beverly Hills, CA 90035
10–15 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
The Hollywood Actors Studio is a complete professional training ground that prepares actors for film, television, stage, commercials, and voiceover. Stone has an extensive background as a professional actor and director in theater and multimedia; he has been teaching actors professionally since 1983. He says he's a talent developer and that many of his students work and have gone on to successful careers, such as Cole Hauser (School Ties, Paparazzi). He studied with Uta Hagen, Herbert Berghof, Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, and William Hickey, and is well-versed in Michael Chekhov's approach to acting. "Helping individuals to get in touch with their talent and potential has become a passion and an essential part of my life. Freeing the artist-actor within is what my work is all about," he says. Open to all levels. Intensive private training and one-on-one workshops have become the course's main focus. Cold reading scene study, and performance, film and TV technique, in-depth character work, improvisation skills, scene study, self-expression, and creative freedom.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, On-Camera Technique, Commercials/Voiceover, Audition Technique/Cold Reading
The Hong Acting Workshop
April Hong, Acting Teacher
Hollywood, CA
Private coaching available year-round; Group sessions at certain times of the year; All levels; Interview before acceptance; Periodic internship program. For more details contact us and LIKE our Facebook Page!
James Hong played Lo Pan in "Big Trouble in Little China" and principal roles in "Blade Runner" and "Chinatown," as well as appearing in over 500 hundred other films and TV shows with nearly 60 years in the industry. The Hong Acting Workshop, taught by his daughter, April Hong, actor, singer, and dancer since the age of four, offers intense training and analysis of your acting in the teaching style primarily originating from Master James Hong. Empower yourself in interviews, jobs, and life as you learn scene study, acting technique breakdown and improvisation. The Hong Acting Workshop also offers private lessons and personal career coaching as well as guidance in dialects and accent reduction. Students' specific needs will be met in a collaborative and energizing environment!
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Howard Fine Acting Studio
Lisa Rodriguez, Administrative Director
1445 N. Las Palmas Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
fax: 323-962-8332
All levels; An audit and industry referral are required; Year-round sessions.
Fine, who began his studio in 1985, is the former director of American Musical and Dramatic Academy's acting department, and he studied with the Moscow Art Theatre. The curriculum includes Comprehensive Technique, Application to Scene Study, and The Relationship Between Homework and Rehearsal, then moves on to intermediate, advanced, and master scene study. The studio also offers Singing for Actors, with David Coury; Alexander Technique, taught by Jean-Louis Rodrigue and Kristof Konrad; Dancing for Actors, taught by Scott Alan Hislop; Comedy Improv, taught by Tim Bagley; and Personalization: Emotional and Sensory Access Workshop, taught by Marilyn McIntyre.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Hull Actors Studio
Dianne Hull, Co-instructor
Santa Monica, CA
10 students per class max; Private coaching available; All levels; Free introductory class; Ongoing sessions; Work-study available for students studying at least a year.
The mother-daughter team of Lorrie and Dianne Hull offers continuous classes and short-term workshops for all levels. Lorrie has been an instructor for the American Film Institute and a senior faculty member for Lee Strasberg, and has been teaching acting for more than 50 years. Dianne is a member of the Actors Studio and a working actor in film, TV, and stage, including for director Elia Kazan. Their classes together are based on Kazan's techniques, as well as Lorrie's book, Strasberg's Method: A Practical Guide for Actors, Teachers, Directors, and her two-hour Method video/DVD, The Method: Based on Stanislavski and Strasberg. Classes cover relaxation, concentration, improvisation, sense memory, affective memory, learning the role, motivating and justifying behavior, breaking down the script, cold reading, audition techniques, and scene study. An interview is suggested before or after a free introductory class. Classes are limited to 10 students. Daily private lessons, as well as private coaching, accents, and accent reduction are also available.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Instone Actors Studio - Nora Stone
P.O. Box 8982
Los Angeles, CA 91372
16 students per class max; Private coaching available in L.A., Ventura, and Santa Barbara; Beginner, intermediate, advanced, and professional levels; Introductory audit permitted.
Stone has been teaching since 1991. She was the director of the NYFA Film Acting program, 2000-04. She offers technique, scene study, cold reading, and improvisation, using a method culled from a variety of techniques, "to offer students the opportunity to refine and create their own approach," she says. She teaches all levels in ongoing programs and says she specializes in respectfully challenging students to claim unique creative territory. A participatory audit is available with no further obligation. For acceptance she requires an interview, a strong commitment, and being coachable. Private coaching is available. Studio City, Woodland Hills, Santa Barbara.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Improv and Comedy, Audition Technique/Cold Reading
Iris Klein
10-15 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is not permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Klein, who studied with Sanford Meisner and Janet Alhanti, offers an audition-to-film scene class, an eight-day acting intensive, and a moment-to-moment class. She also coaches actors for theater, film, and television auditions.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
The Ivana Chubbuck Studio
7201 Melrose Ave., Ste. 206
Los Angeles, CA 90046
fax: 323-465-1900
Introductory, advanced, and master levels; Auditing available by appointment only; Ongoing sessions; Work-study is available for enrolled students.
Chubbuck has taught such actors as Brad Pitt, Jim Carrey, Jake Gyllenhaal, Charlize Theron, Matthew Perry, Jon Voight, Garry Shandling, Elisabeth Shue, Eriq La Salle, Kate Bosworth, Eva Mendes, Terrence Howard, Ian Sommerhalder, David Boreanaz, Emily Deschanel, and James Franco, and she received special thanks from Halle Berry at the Academy Awards for her work with the actor on "Monster's Ball." Instructors Deryl Carroll, Chris Holder, Michael Monks, Yonda Davis, and Ben Davis teach the introductory and advanced classes, and Chubbuck teaches the master scene study workshops. Her book, "The Power of the Actor," features her own technique and can be purchased at Amazon.com and in most bookstores.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
James Bolt
Private and semi-private scene study and group improv workout; All levels; Sessions year-round.
Actor and teacher James Bolt describes his approach as, "honoring the character's experience." He is currently interviewing new students for private and semi-private scene study classes. He is also available by appointment to coach actors for specific auditions. In addition, Jim is currently preparing a weekly IMPROV FOR ACTORS workout. Interested students should call now to reserve a spot in these workshops.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
James Levine Typecasting Inc.
c/o 310 Casting Studios
2329 Purdue Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
Space is limited.
Levine is a 20-year veteran of commercials and owner of Typecasting Inc., and is now working as a commercial director. He teaches an ongoing commercial workshop. The class is four weeks, meeting Mon. nights. Everyone works on-camera each class. The focus is on audition skills, improv technique, making better choices, and booking work. $200. Space is limited.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Improv and Comedy, Audition Technique/Cold Reading
Janet Alhanti Studio
6430 Sunset Blvd., #704
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Private coaching available; Classes by session.
Alhanti teaches a professional 20-week technique class twice a year, in January and July, that involves exercises and scene work. She also teaches a poetry class and a master class. Alhanti, who has been teaching for more than 25 years, studied with Sanford Meisner and Phillip Burton. She offers private coaching. Children's technique classes are available in April. These classes last 10 weeks (Saturdays from 12–3pm), and cost $400.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Janice Kent
Private coaching only; All levels; One hour sessions on tape.
With more than 30 years of experience as an actor, director, and coach, Kent designed her "Life Coaching" approach to aid the actor in better understanding and identifying the fears and processes that block an actor from making risky choices bold and playful. She says her combination of the Meisner, Adler, and Spolin Improvisation techniques, experience, and heart encourage confidence and growth in skills. Kent offers private coaching, ongoing classes, and periodic sitcom-intensive workshops.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Jeanie Hackett: Private Coaching for Auditions / Scene Study and Audition Technique Class, Ongoing
N. Hollywood Arts District, CA
12–16 students per class; Coaching all levels / Classes for professionals; Tuesday / Thursday evenings; Work study exchange available occasionally.
Hackett, former Artistic Director of Antaeus Company & Classical Theater Lab, and the author of The Actor's Chekhov and Toward Mastery, teaches classes in contemporary/classical scene study and audition technique. As a director, Hackett has worked at The Williamstown Theatre Festival, L.A. Theatre Works, Antaeus (the award–winning "Cousin Bette") among others. As an actor, Hackett played leading roles on Broadway, film, and television; she teaches scene study and audition technique in New York, Los Angeles and intensive workshops on Chekhov's plays at Williamstown and colleges and universities across the country. As a private coach, her clients have booked jobs on almost every major network series, including "ER," "24," "Without a Trace," and "Desperate Housewives;" in films "Sideways" and "Spanglish;" and theatrically at the Mark Taper Forum, Pasadena Playhouse, South Coast Rep, and more. In "The Workroom" at jeaniehackett.com, she writes about all things acting + creative process + theater art. New clients are welcome, schedule-permitting. "I want to help actors be fearless, building the courage and skills to access all you've got: sexuality, humor, intelligence, need, unpredictability, warmth, confidence, aggression, vulnerability, charisma -- so as to reveal an inner life that's bold, authentic, and arresting to watch. It's all about how well you've learned to give yourself permission to use every bit of yourself." Her scene study/audition technique class is held Tuesday and Thursday nights at various locations in Hollywood and North Hollywood. Auditing is welcome.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Classical, Audition Technique/Cold Reading
Jeff Hardwick Casting
3940 Laurel Canyon Blvd., Ste. 1158
Studio City, CA 91604
10 students per class max; Private coaching available; Intermediate, advanced, and professional; Auditing not permitted; Sessions 3–4 times a year; Internship program available.
Hardwick was an agent for 13 years in New York and L.A., and he has been casting features, TV, and commercials for over ten years. He offers an intensive commercial workshop and theatrical privates. His methodology is his own, and he describes it as "empowering yourself, with heavy emphasis on script interpretation and advanced audition techniques." He teaches all levels, specializing in advanced. No auditing. Acceptance by referral. No drop-offs.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Jeffery Passero
Studio City, CA
10 students per class max; Private audition coaching available; All levels; Auditing encouraged; Ongoing sessions; Work-study available.
A casting director, producer, director, actor, and teacher, Passero offers his perspective as a trained actor and a working casting director. He offers 4-day Acting Intensives which include scene study and audition technique. He is also available for private coaching.
He has a successful feature-film casting career of more than 50 movies, including Nicolas Cage's "Sonny," "Poison Ivy" (with Drew Barrymore), "The Ballad of Little Jo," "The Stoned Age," "Last Exit to Brooklyn," and "The Sasquatch Gang" with Justin Long for Kevin Spacey's Trigger Street Films. He began his acting career at the Roundabout Theatre before taking over the casting there for two seasons. He trained as an actor with Terry Schreiber and Larry Moss, studied at HB Studios, has a BA in English from University of CT, and studied musical theater with David Craig. All levels. Ongoing acting intensives every other month. Affordable Prices. Also teaches in NY, Boston, New Orleans, Kansas City and Baltimore.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Audition Technique/Cold Reading
Jeffrey Marcus
Los Angeles, CA
12 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Marcus says, "There are no 'instant ways' to arrive at authentic and complex human behavior. I incorporate life-enhancing methods to arrive at acting that takes you off the page and into your depth and vulnerability. Classes are a size that enables actors to work every week, keeping their talent ready for the opportunities to arise." He coaches actors on TV, features, and stage. He accepts referrals from agents, managers, and casting directors. $200 for every four classes. Audits available. Private coaching available.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Jeremiah Comey Studios
12215 Ventura Blvd., Ste. 111
Studio City, CA 91604
16-25 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing permitted with a fee; Ongoing sessions.
Jeremiah Comey has been teaching film acting and training actors in Hollywood for the past 37 years. He was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to conduct a workshop for writers, directors, and actors in New Zealand, where he worked with Niki Caro before she directed Whale Rider. He was then invited back in 2013 to teach at Unitec University. Comey has since been invited to teach a program for actors and directors in Singapore and Greece. He has taught at AFI and the New York Academy of Film and guest-lectured at Loyola Marymount and UCLA. He presently teaches at his own studio in Studio City, CA. All classes are on-camera. He teaches his own approach called "The Art of Film Acting," which is also the title of his book. Classes are held Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights for beginning to advanced students. Jeremiah allows a working audit, and all of his students will receive a critique and a flash drive of their work.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Jill Place, The Acting Intuitive
Jill Place, Acting and Branding Coach
The Acting Intuitive
1961 Queensberry Road
Pasadena, CA 91104
fax: 626-765-6137
6 students per class max; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Finally…a place for all your acting needs. Jill Place not only revolutionizes acting training with her intimate Act Intuitive ongoing classes and her brand-new Internet Master Class on iActing Studios.com. She is also getting ready to teach virtual classes in real time for actors all over the world! Place is the creator of the BRANDact Branding for Actors Success System currently being revised. Reach deeply into yourself to discover a brand that not only expresses your acting persona but your personal essence. Place also combines spiritual alignment with marketing savvy to bring you Aligning your Brand, a multi-dimensional how-to book for acting success. In addition, Jill uses her intuitive talents to boost your career vibe with Clarity sessions.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Jim Otis
Private coaching only; All levels.
Otis coaches actors privately. An actor for more than 31 years and an acting coach for more than 20, he studied with Wynn Handman in New York. Otis has taught a wide range of talent, from Second City actors to the grandmother auditioning for her first commercial. Two private courses are offered: a TV/film intensive, covering TV/film, commercial auditioning technique, cold reading, and business strategy; and a monologue intensive, which consists of developing contemporary and classical monologues for agents and theater, as well as business strategy. "I take people at all levels, work at their pace, and put what's unique about them into the script," says Otis. Flexible scheduling. Each course is six private sessions. No auditing.
Joanne Baron/D.W. Brown Studio
1323 Lincoln Blvd., Ste. 200
Santa Monica, CA 90401
24 students per class max; All levels; Classes by sessions and ongoing.
The Joanne Baron/D.W. Brown Studio offers a variety of programs for the professional and select pre-professional actor, writer, director, and producer. Previous president of the Directors Guild of America and Oscar nominee Martha Coolidge praises the studio as "a renowned environment for training pre-professional actors and creating stars." Pre-professional programs include a six-week intensive class as well as other Meisner courses. The studio also offers continuing education programs, including a master class, vital acting, classical style work, audition technique, character interpretation and script analysis, and a scene study lab for working actors, providing an intensive opportunity for actors ready to commit to the pursuit of excellence in their craft. The studio also produces films using its talent ("Perfume" and "Allie & Me") and offers on-set coaching for films, having coached Academy, Emmy, and Golden Globe winner Halle Berry.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Jocelyn Jones Acting Studio
1107 N. Kings Rd.
W. Hollywood, CA 90069
50 students per class max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Jones is formerly of Milton Katselas' Beverly Hills Playhouse and a private coach to some of the best-known film and TV stars in the industry. Class format is scene study with exercises as deemed appropriate for each particular student. Writers are also welcome.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Joe Palese
12265 Ventura Blvd.
Studio City, CA 91604
Private coaching available; All levels; One audit permitted; acceptance by interview; Ongoing sessions.
Actor-director-writer Palese teaches ongoing beginning, intermediate, and advanced classes at the Actors Space, 14106 Magnolia Blvd., Sherman Oaks. He focuses on scene study, improv, cold reading, and sensory work. Acceptance is by interview, and an audit is permitted. Private coaching is available.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Improv and Comedy, Audition Technique/Cold Reading
Joe Salazar
Small class sizes; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Salazar says he teaches because he wants his students to work. He offers ongoing beginning/intermediate and advanced classes. He is interested in working with only those actors who plan to start or continue their acting careers and are willing to put in the work required to do so. His classes focus on scene study, monologue work, character creation, improvisational skills, and audition techniques that are designed to create the environment of auditions. He also offers an on-camera class. Class size is kept small so that each individual is guaranteed three opportunities to act in each class. Salazar is an award–winning director with more than 20 years of teaching experience. He is the artistic director of the McCadden Place Theatre in Hollywood, where the classes are held. Private coaching offered. Auditing allowed. Rates are kept reasonable.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, On-Camera Technique, Improv and Comedy, Audition Technique/Cold Reading
Joel Asher Studio
13448 Albers St.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91401
12 students per class max; All levels; Auditing permitted after interview; Ongoing sessions.
Asher, who has been teaching and directing successfully for more than 30 years, offers three ongoing on-camera scene study classes with lots of technique and lots of camera time, a cold reading class, and an improvisation class. Class size is limited, so everyone works in every class. "I work with actors between classes at no charge," says Asher. "There are no limits to the time you can spend learning and doing, getting help with your career, or the techniques we use to get results." Asher's studio has produced the award–winning "Actors at Work" DVD series, "Getting the Part," "Casting Directors," "Agents," and "Directors on Acting." "I discover something new each time," says actor Nancie Rooney, a working actor student of Asher's. "It makes sense to have many different tools. I am so eager to get to that next level." Asher also produces state-of-the-art demo reels for actors, and performs dialect coaching both in his studio and on set.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
The John Kirby Studio
Nathan Nesbitt, Studio Manager
1510 N. Las Palmas Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
fax: 323-467-7897
25-30 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted by appointment only; Ongoing sessions.
As one of Hollywood's most prominent acting coaches, Kirby has shared his expertise in all media, including interviews on A&E's biography of Cameron Diaz, HBO, USA, Entertainment Tonight, E! Television, the Learning Annex, and ITV's Desperately Seeking Stardom. He says he has "great compassion and respect for the actor, bringing out remarkable results without destroying the actor's spirit." He offers three intensive scene study classes as well as a new young professional's class that are "extremely disciplined and require strong commitment," and which use Uta Hagen's fundamentals, with emphasis on exploring a character, script analysis, and finding the human condition. Classes are held at the John Kirby Studio, designed to give the actor the sense of working on a film set. Fees are $525 for 12 weeks for adult classes and $600 for 12 weeks for youth classes. Private coaching is available daily, as are on-camera commercials.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
John Sudol Acting Studios – Center of the Language of the Face
11650 Riverside Dr., Ste. 11
N. Hollywood, CA 91602
10 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing permitted in some cases; One-day intensives, Eight-week programs, and ongoing classes; Work study available
JSAS is the only acting studio whose focus is on the face and what it reveals. The biggest difference between acting for the stage and the camera is how we communicate emotion. Onstage, we communicate through the body and the voice. On camera we communicate with the face. The goal of this studio is to teach the actor how to create complex human emotions and reveal them in a recognizable way. Actors who have the ability to manage and control what their face reveals emotionally, from the subtle to the extreme, will have greater success working on camera than those who do not. The classes at the Center of the LOF include "Nailing the Reaction Shot," a must for every actor who wants to book commercials; "Emotional Alignment," the balancing of what you feel and what you reveal on your face; and "Emotional Management," the blending, masking, and qualifying of complex human emotion. John is certified in emotional facial recognition and has been teaching "The Language of the Face" classes for more than eight years.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Joseph Pearlman Coaching
Joseph Pearlman, Owner
310 Casting Studios
2329 Purdue Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
www.josephpearlman.com / Twitter: @josephpearlman
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pearlmancoaching
12 students per class max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Joseph Pearlman is a private and on-set coach for Hollywood's top actors, musicians, and comedians. He works with clients like Zooey Deschanel, and also coaches presenters for all the major award ceremonies including the Oscars, Grammys, and Emmys. Joseph Pearlman Coaching was voted Best Acting Studio in Los Angeles by Backstage's 2011 and 2012 Readers' Choice Awards. Also located in New York, Joseph Pearlman Coaching offers private coaching and classes from beginner to working professional. To schedule a free audit contact: email@example.com.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, On-Camera Technique, Classical, Improv and Comedy, Young Performers, Audition Technique/Cold Reading
JRose Studio
N. Hollywood/Malibu, CA
Private coaching only; All levels
JRose Studio specializes in private acting and audition coaching. Jamie Rose has been a professional actor in film, television, and theater for more than 30 years. She has starred in multiple television series, movies, and plays and has experienced it all, from generals and pre-reads to network tests. Her teaching methods are eclectic and practical, drawing from her 12 years of study with renowned acting coach Roy London, extensive study of Meisner technique, and professional experience. Jamie has also worked as a casting director in TV, film, and theater, so he understands the casting process from both sides of the table. JRose Studio gives actors practical tools that take them from pre-to-post audition and help them book the job. North Hollywood and Malibu locations. JRose also offers online video coaching via Skpe and iChat.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Audition Technique/Cold Reading, Private Coaching
Judy Kerr
Private coaching only; All levels; Work-study or internship programs available.
An acting coach for more than 25 years and the dialogue coach on many TV shows, including Seinfeld, Kerr has written Acting Is Everything: An Actor's Guidebook for a Successful Career in Los Angeles, now in its 11th edition. She coaches privately, covering acting and film techniques for the camera, and show-business techniques to boost careers. She is on call to coach actors for their auditions and on set. Students keep QuickTime files of their work. Beginners are gladly welcomed. She occasionally teaches weekend seminars outside of Los Angeles. Coaching fees start at $150 per hour. Career counseling for all levels is $250 for a 90-minute session.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, On-Camera Technique, Business of Acting
Jules Aaron
Aaron is an award–winning director and acting teacher who has won directing awards from the L.A. Drama Critics Circle, Backstage, Drama-Logue, and the Bay Area Critics. He is the former head of graduate programs at CalArts and U.C. Riverside. Aaron coaches actors for specific auditions, develops appropriate monologues, and conducts cold reading sessions. He also coaches "imaging," which includes creating the best picture, résumé, audition pieces, and physical look to help the actor nail auditions and work steadily in the business. By audition only.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Business of Acting
June Chandler's Actors Workshop
June Chandler, President and Owner
Zydeco Studios/Sierra Madre Playhouse/Victory Theatre
Studio City/Sierra Madre/Burbank, CA
fax: 626-836-0517
16 students per class max; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing, advanced classes plus 6-week intensives; Work-study/internship programs available.
This school has been teaching actors to launch careers and work up the "career ladder" for more than 20 years. Chandler and her staff of working professionals teach nearly 20 different classes allowing for individualized training programs and the development of well-rounded actors. "The experience is detailed and comprehensive as well as uniquely personal, with small classes, counseling, and focus on career administration, training, and guidance," says Chandler. Training is designed on a gradient starting with the beginning foundation classes: Nuts and Bolts of Acting Technique, Actors Image, and Commercials A-Z. Both the intermediate and advanced levels offer ongoing classes in commercials, improv, comedy, acting for the camera, cold reading, and scene study. Also available is a Master Class Audit. The master acting class is also a performing company. A new student may join the program at their appropriate level and to fit their needs and goals. Showcases and performances are also held regularly for commercial and acting classes. Classes are held on weekends, on camera, at Zydeco Casting in Studio City, onstage at the Sierra Madre Playhouse, and at the Victory Theatre in Burbank. The Young Actors ongoing class, Step Onto the Set, combines commercial and theatrical training as well as parent training at Zydeco Studios. Young actors meet agents and casting directors in these classes. Classes are "reasonably priced" with special referral credit, payment plans, access to discounted photo shoots and credit card options. Free audits and career counseling are the first steps. Call 626-355-4572.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Commercials/Voiceover, Improv and Comedy, Business of Acting
Just Breathe
Barbara Beneville
Hollywood, CA
12 students per class max; Private and semi-private coaching; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions split between L.A. and Atlanta, plus weekend workshops in N.Y., Dallas, and Nashville.
"Get comfortable with silence, and transcendence will follow," says Barbara Beneville, who teaches an ongoing Monday night class in Burbank for actors of all levels. The class size is kept to a minimum for quality teaching and actor participation. Class consists of all phases of study: auditioning, character development, cold reading, improv, Meisner exercises, monologues, scene study, and script breakdown. On- and off-camera work is mixed throughout the class. She says industry professionals and agents have been known to drop in. She also offers private coaching on and off the set for children as well as adults. Her one- or two-hour sessions are designed for the actor's personal needs. The session will be taped for your home reference and guide regardless of whether you are auditioning for Broadway, film, or television. An appointment is necessary.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Audition Technique/Cold Reading
Karen Kalensky
Private coaching only; All levels.
Kalensky currently coaches privately in acting, auditioning for film, TV, and theater. A former casting director, she understands what to look for in the audition, especially when scouting for an agent or manager. She also offers speech and dialect coaching.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Kate McGregor-Stewart
Los Angeles, CA
fax: 323-939-3337
Intimate classes; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing sessions, Occasional work-study available.
McGregor-Stewart's acting technique and scene work (foundation and master classes) include style, characterization, script breakdown, and improvisation. She holds workshops in Denver, Vancouver, B.C., and New York, and is a sought-after media coach. She is a veteran Broadway stage and screen actor, most recently seen in "Failure to Launch," "Nip/Tuck," and "Medium," and has worked with Nicole Kidman, James Gandolfini, Marisa Tomei, Woody Harrelson, and Oprah Winfrey, among others. She offers private coaching and will help select and direct monologues for auditions.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Katt Shea
13273 Ventura Blvd., Ste. 104
Studio City, CA 91604
12 students per class; limited class size; Private and on-set coaching available; All levels; Private session/first class for $40; Year-round and ongoing sessions.
Well-known Peabody award–winning , Sundance Festival nominee, and acclaimed writer-director Shea offers cold reading/audition prep classes that bring the joy back to acting, and private coaching. Also offered is the "Bring It" class which teaches actors how to bring their magic to the set. Studio City and Santa Clarita locations.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Kent Klineman Acting Studio
Kent Klineman, Master Teacher / Owner
1131 Sanborn Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90029
12 students per class; Private coaching available in Meisner technique for Acting, Linklater technique for Voice. Also coaches for auditions--cold reads and monologues; All levels; Beginners welcome; Auditing is permitted and encouraged; Ongoing sessions; Some work-study available for people with requisite skills.
Klineman won a Tony Award as a member of the Broadway cast of Death of a Salesman, starring Brian Dennehy. He has taught here in L.A. at UCLA and Pasadena City College and has taught at many U.S theaters and universities, including the Goodman School of Drama. He graduated from Princeton and then studied with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse and with Kristin Linklater as a member of Shakespeare and Company. Klineman says, "The class is a safe, nurturing environment. I combine Meisner-based repetition and object work with Linklater voice work to enhance each student's creative impulses and produce truthful connection between scene partners." He also offers private coaching for acting, singing, dialects, and accent reduction, as well as audition preparation. Class audits can be scheduled by phone or email.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Killian's Commercial Workshop
12-15 students per class; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Sessions year round.
In 2006, at the request of several casting directors and agents, Killian developed an audition technique class that empowers the actor and takes the guessing out of the audition process. His four week workshop teaches any actor, at any age, and from any experience level, how to pinpoint the needs of the client and manipulate the audition process to his or her own advantage. The Killian technique puts the actor in control and provides the knowledge and confidence needed to book the job.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Audition Technique/Cold Reading
Kimberly Jentzen – The Jentzen Technique
Rachel Breitag, Studio Producer
P.O. Box 4554
Valley Village, CA 91617
16 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Acceptance by interview only; Ongoing classes as well as special courses offered at certain times of the year, such as "Acting with Impact Cold Reading Weekend Intensive," "The Essence Weekend Intensive," "The Demo Reel Project," and "Singing for Actors, Acting for Singers." Work-study available for long-term students.
Award–winning director and teacher Kimberly Jentzen brings a unique perspective as a director as well as an acting coach. She knows what works on set. She has been voted "Favorite Acting Coach and Teacher" for many years and is considered one of the top coaches and teachers in Los Angeles. With more than 25 years of experience in capturing the essence of artistry, she incorporates Chekhov, Adler, Strasberg, and Meisner into her own Jentzen Technique. The Jentzen Technique is a series of power tools designed to cultivate the master-level actor. Jentzen's approach helps build a necessary foundation, instilling within an actor the motivations and needs of creating authentic characters.
Jentzen's focus is to guide students of all levels to find their artistic fuel and constantly challenge themselves. Jentzen believes, "To master skill, an actor must cultivate the internal life of the character to make strong, active choices for performance consistency." Classes concentrate on helping actors discover how to own it, eliminating fear and creating an honest character from beginning to end. In her class, an actor's craft is continuously molded and applied. Professional classes are offered in acting technique, scene study, cold reading, audition technique, on-camera training, character tools, script breakdown, and improvisation, with an emphasis on individual attention. Her book Acting with Impact is considered to be one of the best contemporary books on acting.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
L.A. On-Camera Training Center
10545 Burbank Blvd., Ste. 105
North Hollywood, CA 91601
10 students per class; Intermediate and advanced levels; Auditing is permitted.
Founded by actor Jamison Haase, L.A. On-Camera Training Center specializes in training actors in real, easy-to-learn camera techniques and audition skills that create powerful and captivating performances in the audition room and on set. Every student is guaranteed to work twice every class, and all of our classes are taught by working professionals in their specialized fields.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Larry Biederman - Scene Study Classes & Coaching
8-12 students per class; Actors: intermediate level and above; Directors: all levels; Auditing is permitted; Sliding scale fee available; 8-12 sessions; Some classes elect to continue.
Biederman identifies the artist's individuality and teaches students to invest and express that uniqueness in their work. His actors learn to speak their words with spontaneity and emotion, to express their characters in their entire bodies, and to invest and reveal their uniqueness in any role. Directing workshops also offered.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Laura Gardner
www.lauragardner.org, www.howardfine.com
12-25 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted on Thursday nights; Sessions vary; Work-study available occasionally.
Gardner trained with Carol Rosenfeld and Uta Hagen. Her acting credits include Broadway, Off-Broadway, regional theater, national tours, film, and TV. Gardner teaches scene study and basic technique at the Howard Fine Acting Studio. Every few months she offers interview/audition intensive workshops. She also teaches actors with disabilities at Media Access in North Hollywood. Auditing is permitted. Private coaching is available.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Laura James' The Acting Workshop
818-562-3075 / 818-489-6757
Private coaching only; All levels.
Teacher-director-actor James, who has worked professionally around the world, conducts ongoing workshops and private sessions offering a technique meant to "empower the actor to communicate as specifically, effectively, and as powerfully as possible." She explains further, "To be instinctive is not enough. To be 'natural' is not enough. One must learn to be 'unsafe' to discover the deep places inside you that have a voice, which will inspire and surprise you, and are the dimensional, exciting, 'true' you. An actor must learn, as a musician, to know and play his/her full instrument." James, whose training ranges from Strasberg to Hagen to commedia dell'arte to Shakespeare, also directs and teaches at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and Theatre West and works with students on camera at AFI. Limited enrollment.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Lauren Patrice Nadler
Limited enrollment; Private coaching and consulting available; Intermediate and advanced levels; Ongoing sessions.
Nadler is a bicoastal director, actor, and coach-teacher who has done casting. She is actively directing independent projects while teaching, directing, and consulting. Her students work on top TV shows ("Glee," "Pretty Little Liars," "Suburgatory"), film ("Enders Game"), and national commercials. Nadler believes that "in this town you must be independent thinking while standing out above the rest, and you must be ready before the calls start coming." Nadler holds classes at all levels and is available for private coaching and consulting, as well as to direct stage and film projects.
Specialties: Acting technique/Scene Study, Improv and Comedy
LaValle Actors Workshop
4645 Van Nuys Blvd., Ste. 202
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
fax: 818-788-6981
20 students per class max; Private coaching available; All levels; Free audit; Ongoing sessions.
"Do his students work?" Dennis LaValle believes this is the question actors should ask when looking for a teacher. LaValle teaches an eclectic technique melded from more than 20 years of experience in stage, film, television, and commercial work. He explains, "It is important to learn specific techniques, but no one school of thought will suffice in all situations." He teaches a way of "creating a character that draws from the vast experiences that each individual actor possesses." Five-hour classes of between 12 and 15 students ensure that every student works every week. New students are required to participate in a free class audit during which they will work on a monologue.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute – Los Angeles
Marian Tomas Griffin, Director of Students
7936 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
fax: 323-650-7770
12-16 students per class; All levels; Auditing permitted in some cases: 1–2 year certificate program; Full or part-time programs, workshops, and intensives; Offers limited work-study program.
Three generations of American actors - from Marilyn Monroe and James Dean to Robert De Niro, Alec Baldwin, and Angelina Jolie - have studied the "Method" and emerged as major talents. The Strasberg Institute's Method acting classes and programs challenge actors to work on themselves as creative artists and at the same time work on the role, leaving behind conventional expressions and finding their own unique voices. Actors are taught to invoke their own sense of truth in every role and to stress the ways in which personal experience can fire the imagination. This is the Strasberg difference, the spark that turns an accomplished technician into an inspired artist.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Young Performers, Audition Technique/Cold Reading, On-Camera Technique, Conservatory/University
Lena Harris On-Camera Workshop
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Class sizes vary but are kept small; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Lena Harris is an award–winning actor and author. She also wrote, directed and filmed a short documentary which made its world premiere at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.
Lena offers specific on-camera and acting techniques based on The Stanislavsky System and Sanford Meisner exercises. Actors are filmed at the workshop sessions using original material resulting in 2–4 minute finished scenes that may be streamed online and emailed to the industry. Lena offers on-camera techniques that give the actor the discipline needed to overcome certain constraints that are required in front of the camera (which are not present in stage acting). Backstage has requested several articles from Lena Harris; one specifically explains the importance of studying on-camera technique ("Always Be Studying" (On-Camera Technique)). http://www.backstage.com/news/spotlight/always-be-studying/
The acting techniques offered by Lena allow the actor to be spontaneous, alive, truthful, and in the moment. Actors work on monologues, dialects, and impediments (for example, blindness or addiction). Backstage requested the following article from Lena: "Approaching a Role with an Accent" http://www.backstage.com/bso/content_display/advice/e3i85a75f3355f4093d933bd01c2e711fac.
Lena's book, "Twenty-Five 5-Minute Power Scenes," published by Smith and Kraus, can be purchased at Samuel French Bookstores and online at Amazon.com.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Lesly Kahn & Company, Actor Training
Lesly Kahn, Owner
1720 N. La Brea Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
www.leslykahn.com / blog: www.leslykahn.com/blog
fax: 323-969-9944
8–28 students per class; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Classes offered on a monthly basis; Work study/internship offered infrequently, by invitation only, and only after the actor has studied with us for a substantial period of time.
Lesly's core classes are right-brain, thought-based "non-technique" classes designed to enhance your raw talent and/or prior training. They teach you to break down not only your text, and your instinct, but also the business itself as well, so that you can consistently and effortlessly perform at the peak of your ultimate ability. We offer individual audition and dialogue coaching as well as acting tutorials, on-set coaching and filmed coaching.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Lessac Summer Voice and Body Training Workshops
Tim Good, Workshop Coordinator
DePauw University
600 South Locust Street
Greencastle, IN 46135
fax: 765-658-4757
10-14 students per class, All levels; Auditing not permitted; Summer sessions only.
For more than 40 years, these workshops in L.A., NYC, and D.C. areas have offered intensive training in voice, body, and text exploration. These programs are intended for those in performance, in education, in broadcasting, or in communications. Workshops range from one week to four weeks and are taught in an all-day format, 8 a.m.-8:30 p.m., with appropriate breaks. The next sessions will run in summer 2014.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Lifebook Acting Academy
Allen Levin
Lifebook Playhouse
665 N. Heliotrope Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90004
323-244-4620 or 818-415-9568
15-30 students per class; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions; Financial aid available.
Levin has been teaching acting for the past decade. His students have booked lead roles in mainstream film and television. He offers scene study, improv, cold reading, auditions, guest speakers, and career coaching. Levin is a working producer, currently working with a multiple Emmy Award–winning director and power team launching a comedy series. Classes are held Monday through Saturday. Visit the website for more details. Second location: 4348 Tujunga Ave., Studio City, CA 91604
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Lindsay Crouse
Private coaching available.
Crouse, an acclaimed star of film, television, and theater, now offers classes that define clearly what the actor's job really is and show actors the high road – that acting is at heart a spiritual profession. When actors act, they give and put the attention on another person first, taking the eye off themselves.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Lisa Dalton Studios Inc.
Lisa Dalton, Owner, Master Coach
Private coaching only; All levels.
Lisa Dalton heads this studio based in Michael Chekhov's technique. She is an award–winning international actor, teacher, director, and producer. Dalton co-produced the documentary From Russia to Hollywood about Michael Chekhov, was an on-camera acting consultant for A&E's Spying on Myself pilot, co-founder of the International Michael Chekhov Association, and is on the teacher certification board of the National Michael Chekhov Association. She offers courses in technique, cold reading, on-camera commercials, dramatic and comedic scene study, career management, promotional skills, and soap opera. The studio is chaired by Jyl Shoaf and Matt Franklin. The approach is primarily founded in Chekhov, with a strong body-mind-spirit holistic approach. Psychological Gesture, Imaginary Body and Centers, Atmospheres, and other imagination-mind-body techniques created by Chekhov are merged with the Stanislavsky System of Analysis and Physical Actions. Private coaching, short-term, and ongoing classes for all levels, including acting teachers. Dalton splits her time between this studio and her new studio in Dallas.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Audition Technique/Cold Reading, On-Camera Technique, Business of Acting
Lisa Robertson Studio
15-20 students per class; Private coaching available; Intermediate, advanced, and professional levels; Auditing is permitted; Headshot and résumé required for all audits, referral helpful; Ongoing sessions; Work-study available to students who have completed a year of training with Lisa.
Robertson is a well-known coach in feature film and television, and has actors working on most major TV dramas and sitcoms. A protégé of Larry Moss, with whom she trained for nine years, she also enjoys a close association with British coach Patsy Rodenburg and produces workshops and plays, as well as working as associate director for Rodenburg's U.S. projects. Robertson is also guest faculty at the Michael Howard Studios in New York, where she teaches on-camera audition intensives. She offers actors a variety of tools and techniques to release their work. Intermediate to professional levels. Ongoing scene-study/technique class, emphasis on stage and film, $210 per month. Weekend on-camera audition intensives. Requirements for acceptance: commitment and passion for the work, assessed after phone interview and class audit. Audit is mandatory; headshot and résumé required on audit. Personal referral helpful. Studio: 8801 Cashio St., L.A. Private coaching available, price upon request, Brentwood location.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
The Lost Studio
130 S. La Brea Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
20 students per class max; Private coaching available; All levels; Call for interview; Ongoing sessions.
Award–winning director Cinda Jackson offers scene study and sensory classes. Classes include a four-day-per-week intensive class of scene study, sensory, and improvisation. Daytime and evening intensives, all levels welcome. Classes are also available with artist-in-residence Donald Freed. Also home of the Les Enfants Magiques children's classical theater workshop. For interview, call. Offers interdisciplinary workshop on acting/wring with playright John Steppling.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
The Lyndon Technique
Amy Lyndon, CEO and Founder
Studio City, CA
fax: 818-760-2006
22-35 students per class, Advanced levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing sessions.
The Lyndon Technique proves to be a practical approach to auditioning and booking the job on the first take. Lyndon's Technique has literally helped thousands of Actors around the globe learn what it takes to get into the 1% ratio of working actors and run a successful business. This 15 Guideline Map To Booking Technique teaches each actor how to break down the script, understand the story as written, identify the character's emotions, and to always know what they're doing.
To Name a Few Lyndon Technique Successes... Denise Vasi ("Single Ladies"), Nadine Velazquez ("Major Crimes"), Adam Brody ("The OC"), Christel Khalil (Won an EMMY for "The Young and the Restless"), Hosea Chanchez ("The Game"), Sterling Knight ("Sonny with a Chance"), Kenton Duty ("Shake It Up"), Chris D'Elia ("Whitney"), and Raini Rodriquez ("Austin and Ally").
Lyndon has two ongoing advanced classes, private audition coaching, and career consultations. No audits.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Lynette McNeill Studio
Lydia May, Student Administration
419 N. Larchmont
Los Angeles, CA 90004
20 students per class; All levels; Auditing permitted by invitation only; Ongoing sessions; Work-study offered when available.
Ms. McNeill has a proven track record of taking beginning students and moving them through the process of becoming successful working actors. She also has private coaching for all levels. Former clients include Adam Sandler, Jason Lee, Giovanni Ribisi, Ellen DeGeneres, Jane Leeves, and Anne Archer. Says Archer, "Lynette's teaching has always been rich and clear, finding depth, color, and humor way beyond the printed page." Classes offered include scene study, technique, private coaching, and audition preparation. Also have industry speakers, on-camera and in-house casting workshops.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Making It On Broadway
40 students per class; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Sessions in the summer and winter.
Making it on Broadway is a weeklong intensive where students explore the realities of what it means to be a modern Broadway professional. Participating in classes taught by Broadway professionals, students have the opportunity to work with and perform for these pros from every aspect of the business including casting directors, agents, Broadway stars, Tony winners, directors, music directors, conductors, producers, and composers. Students sharpen their acting, auditioning, vocal, and dance techniques. Over ten different core training classes are offered as well as master classes. Students are placed into classes according to age and experience and receive one-on-one feedback, as well as the opportunity to network and find real professional opportunities.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Marcie Smolin
4475 Sepulveda Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90230
8-12 students per class; All levels; Audit permitted for a reduced class fee; Ongoing sessions; Work-study/internships available.
Smolin began her acting career as a child actor and has been a regular on two TV series, as well as guest-starring in many other shows. She was a standup comic for 13 years, appearing in shows including "An Evening at the Improv," "Girls' Night Out," and a prime-time NBC comedy special. She has appeared in numerous commercials. She holds a bachelor's degree in theater arts and a master's degree in screenwriting. She has been coaching children and adults for more than 17 years. Many of her current and past students are appearing as series regulars and in feature films.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Margie Haber Studio
971 N. La Cienega Blvd., #207
Los Angeles, CA 90069
fax: 310-854-0462
12-15 students per class; Levels: Introduction, Fundamental, Intermediate, Master, Kids, Teens, International; Auditing not permitted; Intensive Workshops and Ongoing Workshops; Work-study/internships available for enrolled students and upon availability.
Margie Haber Studio offers on-camera audition technique and cold reading workshops for adults, kids, and teens. With a reputable studio in West Hollywood and seminars all over the world, Margie Haber has over 35 years of experience as an internationally-renowned acting and auditioning coach. Haber has worked with A-list Hollywood actors, and her philosophy is based on her book, "How to Get the Part Without Falling Apart," and her new digital class/app, "Stop Acting: The Audition Class with Margie Haber," which is available on mobile devices and Vimeo on Demand. Among her clients: Brad Pitt, Halle Berry, Vince Vaughn, Heather Locklear, Kristin Davis, Mariska Hargitay, and Colin Egglesfield. All of the studio's instructors train in Haber's Philosophy: "Stop Acting! Live the Life" ™ Actors begin with taking an "intensive" course at their level, followed by an ongoing course. Before enrolling, students attend an orientation, which is held at the studio every Monday at 1:30 PM.; bring a headshot and résumé.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Marilyn Fox
P.O. Box 568
Venice, CA 90294
fax: 310-301-3907
All levels; Auditing by permission; Ongoing sessions; Volunteers for general help accepted.
Marilyn Fox, artistic director of Pacific Resident Theatre, offers classes. Beginning/intermediate concentrates on scene study, cold reading, improvisation, and strengthening imagination. Sun. 11 a.m.-2 p.m., $150 per month. Advanced focuses on strengthening technique and ease in scene work, audition technique, text analysis, and Shakespeare. Mon. 7-10:30 p.m., $150 per month.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Marilyn McIntyre
Los Angeles, CA
www.marilynmcintyre.com, www.howardfine.com, www.tedbrunettistudio.com
818-601-1463 / 323-962-3188 / 310-403-0213
14–16 students per scene study class, 10 students per personalization class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing required (except for personalization classes); Ongoing (scene study) and limited (personalization) sessions; Work-study available.
Marilyn McIntyre specializes in Personalization, using a variety of techniques to help the actor safely discover and explore what effectively allows them to access and bring their most personal, authentic, and unique self to the work. She teaches Personalization and Scene Study at the Howard Fine Acting Studio in Hollywood (www.howardfine.com; 323-962-3188), and Melbourne, Australia (www.howardfinestudio.com.au). Ms. McIntyre has been acting professionally for 30-plus years, playing lead roles On- and Off-Broadway, regional theaters, and in L.A. where she has garnered many awards and nominations. She also works extensively in television and film. (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0570791/ ).
Ms. McIntyre has been teaching for over 25 years in conservatories, universities, and private studios including Cal State Northridge, USC School of Theatre, LACC Theatre Academy, U of Texas-Austin, Verve Studio in Phoenix, et.al. Currently, she is the Coordinator of the Acting Program for Elon University's "Elon In LA" summer session and is also an instructor with the SAG-AFTRA Conservatories in Hollywood, San Diego, and Las Vegas. Look for her on-camera class, "Up Close & Personal," at the Ted Brunetti Studio (for info email firstname.lastname@example.com or call 310-403-0213). She trained at the UNC School of the Arts (BFA), Penn State (MFA), and with Michael Shurtleff, Uta Hagen, et.al., and is featured on Uta Hagen's Acting Class video.
Ms McIntyre offers private coaching for theater, film and television – from the audition through finessing a role in production. Rates vary, depending on the needs of the actor and the project. For scheduling, call 818-601-1463 or email email@example.com. For more information, please visit www.MarilynMcIntyre.com.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Audition Technique/Cold Reading, On-Camera Technique
Marjorie Ballentine Studio
1145 S. Beverly Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90034
15–25 students per class; Private coaching available; Intermediate and advanced levels; Ongoing sessions; Call regarding internships.
Stella Adler's protégé and a critically acclaimed theater director with over 20 years of experience, Marjorie Ballentine believes in the craft of acting, not in "chance." "I'm interested in an actor who wants a career, not a five-minute fly-by-night spot on the latest hit series. Hollywood demands professionalism, toughness, and range. An actor must enter the audition with utter confidence in his choices – and the ability to change them on a dime if directed to – with equally talented, interesting choices. Craft! Craft! Craft! It always comes back to craft!" Since arriving in L.A. in 2003, Marjorie has successfully coached and taught Gary Oldman, Nelsan Ellis, Krysten Ritter, Bitsie Tulloch, Victor Rasuk, Tanya Raymonde, Nadine Velazquez, Gale Harold, Mathew St. Patrick, Chad Lindberg, and others.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Marjorie Gaines
Private coaching only; All levels.
Gaines has taught acting for theater majors at CSU Long Beach and currently teaches at CSU Northridge. She trained extensively with Nina Foch and at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, where she studied with Lloyd Richards, Olympia Dukakis, and Kristin Linklater. She offers private coaching in audition preparation, public speaking, and basic technique. She is a 2006 Los Angeles Music Center Bravo Honoree.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Mark Tillman, CSA
From "MacGyver" and "Stephen King's: It" to MTV's "Undressed" and "The Andy Dick Show," and including award–winning indie films, Tillman has been casting for 25 years. He cast actors such as Cuba Gooding Jr., Hilary Swank, Brittany Murphy, and Adrien Brody early in their careers. Classes focus on understanding the character, freeing emotions, and strengthening communication to help his students in the audition.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Marla Ladd - Mysterium Theater
Marla Ladd, Artistic Director/Owner
19211 Dodge Ave.
Santa Ana, CA 92705
Small class size for individual attention; Private coaching also available; All levels; Auditing permitted with advanced permission; Ongoing sessions; Work-study possibly available.
Ladd is the artistic director and owner of Mysterium, a theater, gallery, healing center, and retail and online shop for all conscious living needs, where acting and other performing arts classes offer a wide range of opportunities for students of all ages. Ladd is an Orange County acting coach, specializing in audition preparation and last-minute coaching. She offers scene study classes, improv work, and monologue-perfecting. Headshot and résumé supervision is available. Jay Wallace teaches acting for the camera on Wed. evenings and Gregory Cohen teaches beginning acting for the stage on Sat. mornings.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Matthew Barry Teaches
14 students per class max; All levels; ages 18-plus; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing sessions.
"For me, there's no greater feeling in the world than to help others make their dreams come true," shares casting director Matthew Barry ("The Notebook," "My Sister's Keeper," "Alpha Dog," "Rush Hour"). Barry has the unique advantage of having been both a successful actor and a successful casting director. He offers four-week workshops that meet every Monday night and include a step-by-step plan to help actors develop a game plan where Hollywood is the business and the actor is the product; getting the most from the tools of the trade (résumés, pictures, postcards, mass mailings); auditioning techniques; character study; cold reading techniques; scene study; and auditioning techniques designed to keep actors spontaneous and not 'thinking'. Barry knows what casting directors are looking for from experience and has discovered or given breaks to James Gandolfini, Rachel McAdams, Ryan Phillippe, Don Cheadle, Lucy Liu, Jason Ritter, and many others.
Others: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Improv and Comedy, Business of Acting
The Met Theatre
1089 N. Oxford Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90029
fax: 323-957-1831
Private coaching available; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions and by classes by semesters.
The award–winning MET Theatre, one of the longest-running Equity-waiver houses in Los Angeles, offers a selection of ongoing and semester-structured professional theater and film labs for actors, writers, and directors. Labs are led by such working professionals as Steve Whitaker, Susan Emshwiller, Bo Crowell, Rob Tobin, Flint Esquerra, Paul Koslo, and Caroline Ducroq.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Michael Cooke Acting School
1507 Seventh St., Ste. 172
Santa Monica, CA 90401-2605
Private coaching available; All levels.
With more than 25 years' experience teaching acting and comedy improvisation for professionals, nonprofessionals, and students, Michael offers small classes and private coaching on acting technique, audition preparation, script analysis, on-camera technique, vocal control, stage presence, and improvisation. Michael is an actor and performer who has worked with such notables as Adam Rifkin, Paul Verhoven, and David Lynch.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Audition Technique/Cold Reading, On-Camera Technique
Michael D. Frederick
1526 14th St., Ste. 110
Santa Monica, CA 90404
10-12 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing sessions.
If you have ever had stage fright, vocal or physical stress, the Alexander Technique is for you! These classes will guide you to a dynamic experience of kinesthetic lightness, wherein thinking becomes clearer, feelings balanced, sensations livelier, and movement more pleasurable. Michael D. Frederick is an internationally recognized teacher in the field of psycho-physical learning. He originally trained as an actor at The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol, England, followed by training as an Alexander teacher in London. He taught for over a decade at the Old Globe Theatre's MFA program in San Diego and for more than 25 years at the renowned Sanford Meisner-based Baron/Brown Acting Studio in Santa Monica. Michael has more than 30 years experience working with actors, and was voted best Alexander Technique teacher in Los Angeles Magazine's "Best of L.A."
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Audition Technique/Cold Reading
Michael D. Nye Dynamic Acting
Valley Village, CA
Private coaching only at this time (single or double); Intermediate, advanced, and professional levels; Auditing is permitted; Phone interview required; Ongoing sessions.
Actor-director Nye ("Lopez," "Little Boy") says his private coaching uses innovative exercises and discovery to achieve more dynamic, powerful, and consistent performances for film, television (including commercials), and stage. "The basic tenet is that emotion cannot be forced, but rather it comes about through imagination, action, and discovery," says Nye. "Character is determined by what we do, not what we say." Nye says his approach dramatically increases the actor's chances to bring fresh insights into his or her work. He offers a "supportive environment for committed actors." He is the author of the forthcoming book Dynamic Acting.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Michael Knowles, Director/Producer
Los Angeles, CA 90004
10 students per class; All levels; 3-hour sessions; Work-study/internships available.
Award–winning actor and filmmaker Michael Knowles has been teaching and coaching actors for the past 10 years while continuing to make movies and grow as an artist himself. He believes that the best way to learn is to be up on your feet and working in an "as reel" of an environment as possible. He offers On-Camera Scene Study, Private coaching and he also teaches actors how to write so that they can create their own work.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Michael Woolson Studio
8801 Cashio St.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted.
"Woolson has proven himself to be the go-to coach for actors who are serious about their craft." - Noela Hueso, The Hollywood Reporter. Michael Woolson is the author of the highly acclaimed and recently released books "The Work of an Actor" and "Emotion on Demand: An Actor's Workbook for Mastering Emotional Triggers." Inspired by legendary acting coaches such as Adler, Meisner, Hagen, and his mentor, Larry Moss (whom he taught for), Michael Woolson shares the fundamentals of the craft in a clear and concise manner. "Michael has an ability to bring out emotional depth and honesty in any actor. He gives them a solid technique to create brave, multilayered performances that stand out from the rest. As a casting director, that's exactly what I look for." –Johanna Ray, Casting Director, "Inglourious Basterds." Advanced scene study, on-camera/auditioning, and technique classes are available.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Michelle Danner Los Angeles Acting Studio
Alexandra Guamieri, Managing Director
2437 Main St.
Santa Monica, CA 90405
fax: 310-392-0815
15 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted, free info sessions Thursdays from 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Ongoing sessions.
Our mission is to provide a creative home to a community of passionate actors in L.A.
This Los Angeles Acting School encompasses the following acting techniques: Meisner, Strasberg, Adler, Hagen, Chekhov, and the Stanislavsky Technique.
* The Actor's Golden Box: With Michelle Danner
* Audition for Film & Television: On-Camera Cold Reading
* Scene Study, Beginning/Intermediate/ Advanced
* Improv Workout
* Casting Director Workshop
* Voice intensives level 1 and level 2
*3, 6 and 12 month WELL-ROUNDED ACTOR INTENSIVES AVAILABLE
Michelle Danner is a director, actress, and acting coach. Her student list includes Gerard Butler, Common, Penélope Cruz, Justin Chatwin, Marcia Cross, Zooey Deschanel, Isla Fisher, Catherine Bell, Rick Fox, James Franco, Salma Hayek, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Christian Slater, Gabrielle Union, Justine Waddell and numerous others. She teaches internationally in Europe, Toronto, Vancouver, B.C., Dubai, Los Angeles and New York.
Watch Michelle Danner's latest film "Hello Herman" starring Norman Reedus from the "Walking Dead" and "Boondock Saints" and Marta Higareda at www.allinfilms.com. The movie is available on View-on-Demand in over 100 million homes, iTunes, Amazon, Netflix, etc.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, On-Camera Technique, Audition Technique/Cold Reading
Mojo Actor's Workshop
Michele Gossett, Acting Coach
14366 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA
818-383 5114
12-18 students per class; Private coaching available; Intermediate to advanced levels only; Scheduled audit available; 3-month and ongoing sessions.
An actor, director, and coach with more than 30 years' experience in NY and Los Angeles. (20 years with the American Academy) Michele Gossett teaches advanced and intermediate acting. Her workshops cover technique, scene study, and auditioning, drawing on a combination of Chekhov, Adler, Hagen, Meisner, and Morris. Michele's primary goal is to provide the actor with the tools to explore and create characters and relationships necessary to fulfill an author's intentions. Class curriculum includes script analysis, acting technique, scene study, character development, and auditioning.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Audition Technique/Cold Reading, On-Camera Technique, Business of Acting
Natalia Lazarus
Promenade Playhouse and Conservatory
1404 Third Street Promenade
Santa Monica, CA 90401
fax: 310-656-8069
12 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; 10-week sessions.
Artistic Director Natalia Lazarus is at the helm of the Promenade Playhouse and its subsidiaries: Promenade Conservatory, an accredited acting school; 3rd Street Comedy; and the Creative Keys to Success Series: the acting, screenwriting, directing, and personal growth technique that she wrote. In addition, Ms. Lazarus is also a private and international coach for Hollywood celebrities on sets (most notable Ken Jeong of "The Hangover," "Community," and "Knocked Up;" Teresa Ruiz from "Border Town" with Jennifer Lopez and winner of the Cannes Palm d'Or 2010) and in institutions throughout the world, like Bridge Media, The International School of Cinema of Paris, and Casa Azul in Mexico City, to name a few.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Natalie Ford, Professional Private Acting Coach
Santa Monica, CA
Private coaching only; All levels; Auditing not permitted but private interview/meeting suggested; Ongoing sessions.
Ford specializes in private, on-camera coaching for: Audition Preparation, Learning to Act From Scratch, and Character Development/Set Support for working Actors, in both L.A. and N.Y. She brings to her teaching her background of more than 20 years of casting, directing, and acting expertise.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Audition Technique/Cold Reading, On-Camera Technique
Ned Manderino
P.O. Box 27758
Los Angeles, CA 90027
12 students per class max.
Manderino has been a post-Stanislavsky acting coach in Los Angeles since the 1970s. He combines total Method principles that he learned initially from Stella Adler and then, for six years, from his close friends and mentors Lee Strasberg and Harold Clurman, granting Manderino a privilege few acting coaches have experienced. Elia Kazan arranged for him to have complete participation in The Actors Studio, which Kazan rarely offered. Manderino says his emails are flooded with gratitude for his groundbreaking books and enable him to enjoy the effect of the knowledge he grants to thousands of actors worldwide, as well as hundreds of acting teachers. As a coach-director, he has, aside from Los Angeles, worked in New York, New Orleans, Great Britain, Germany, Austria, Greece, Japan, Russia, and Italy. He has coached/directed actors who have among them won two Oscars, 20 Emmys, four Golden Globes, three Tonys, a Pulitzer playwriting prize, and a Kennedy Center Honor. His Hollywood workshop on Theatre Row is limited to 12 people for individual attention and at a reasonable fee.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
The New American Studio for Actors/The New American Theatre
P.O. Box 586
Culver City, CA 90232
6-20 students per class; Beginner, intermediate, advanced, and professional levels; Free studios to meet teachers at times; Admission by audition/interview only; Classes by sessions and ongoing.
Led by artistic director Jack Stehlin, the studio offers scene study, technique, TV/film, commercial, voice and speech, and movement classes. Class address: The New American Theatre (formerly Circus Theatricals) meets at the Elephant Theatre: 1076 Lillian Way, Los Angeles, CA 90038
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
The New Collective LA
Greg Braun
6440 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
15 students per class max; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
The New Collective LA is a monthly membership organization for actors. We are the only studio in Los Angeles that offers a conservatory atmosphere for an affordable monthly rate.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
New York Film Academy
Joey Zangardi, Director of Acting Admissions
4444 Lakeside Drive, First Fl.
Burbank, CA 91505
fax: 818-733-407
12 students per class; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
The New York Film Academy offers Bachelor of Arts and Master of Fine Arts degree programs in Acting for Film as well as one-year, two-year, and short-term programs. Located in Los Angeles and New York with branches in Abu Dhabi and Queensland, Australia. We also offer courses in Filmmaking, Screenwriting, Producing, Photography, Game Design, and 3-D Animation. Year-round, summer, and evening workshops available, as well as High School Summer Camps.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Nicolas Coster Studio
10–15 students per class max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Classes by sessions.
Coster's credits include nine Broadway shows, 24 Off-Broadway, 53 feature films, three prime-time leads, 75 guest-star appearances, nine MOWs, nine leads on soaps, three Emmy noms, and a Soap Opera Digest Award. He has done four features in two years, including indie films with Peter Bogdonovich, Cheryl Hines, and Sandra Oh. He is currently starring in two Internet series, ("The Bay" (Emmy nominated) and "My Synthesized Life") and is a Lifetime Member of the Actors Studio. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and the Neighborhood Playhouse, and with Lee Strasberg, Sanford Meisner, Milton Katselas, and Frank Silvera. He currently is an adjunct professor at the University of Georgia. Eighty-five percent of students worked in 2008. Coster spends his free time teaching disabled veterans how to scuba-dive, snorkel, and sail, and is the founder of Challenges Foundation (www.challengesfoundation.org). He coaches privately.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Nikolai Guzov
12360 Hesby St.
Valley Village, CA 91607
fax: 818-753-5203
2–12 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing permitted in some cases; Sessions depend on the need of the student; Work-study available upon request.
Guzov, a Russian acting teacher originally from St. Petersburg, says, "My intent is to make a teacher unnecessary for you – to provide you with tools to develop yourself within the profession as an independent artist, and to train you to perform on the set or stage with a strong, precise, and professional technique that consistently leads to inspired acting." Toward that end, he offers one private lesson and one group class per week for $250 a month.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
The Orchard Acting Workshop
Cristen Kauffman
1745 Warnall Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90024
All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
The Orchard Acting Workshop offers a healthy and balanced environment for creativity and collaboration that cultivates, nurtures, guides, and supports your talent as well as helps you discover your own unique truth. We provide you with helpful technical tools to ensure you gain the confidence you need to develop your special acting abilities.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Organic Acting
Andrea Tate
Agoura Hills
10-15 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels
Organic Acting is taught by award–winning director and teacher Andrea Tate. Andrea teaches an acting technique that combines Meisner and the Method with a focus on following your own impulses and instincts. She uses improvisation skills as well to bring out your unique take on a character. Andrea's clients have played lead roles in theater, film, and TV.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Phyllis Applegate
fax: 323-655-5167
Private coaching only; On-set coaching also available; All levels
"Audition and perform with power," says Emmy-nominated character actor Applegate, who studied on scholarship at the Lee Strasberg Institute. She offers ongoing individual performance coaching combining Strasberg's methods with her own professional experience to actors, singers, and business professionals. She coaches individuals on audition techniques, cold readings, character creation, scene study, and text interpretation. On-set coaching available.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Piero Dusa
Piero Dusa Creative Studio
220 San Vicente Blvd. Ste. 613
Santa Monica, CA 90402
phone: 310-310-3650
Private coaching only; All levels; Interview by phone required for audit; Ongoing, client specific syllabus.
Piero Dusa is the founder of The Piero Dusa Creative Studio in Santa Monica. In 1985 he was one of the sixteen students hand-selected by Sanford Meisner to study privately in the West Indies. He has also studied with William Alderson, Stella Adler and completed The Stanislavsky Method. Dusa incorporated his acting knowledge to develop the revolutionary Character Preference System. "Before you choose how you want your character to move, you must know how to be still in their preference." The system includes Character Preference, Character Expression, Destructive Preference, and Writers Preference, which helps actors to learn to play the preference of the character in lieu of imposing their own preference. Since no two people learn the same, Dusa personalizes his syllabus giving each artist a strong sense of alignment in dealing with the craft, rejection, and all aspects of show business. In addition to coaching, directing has taken him to cites such as New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Edinburgh, Scotland, with a feature in development to be filmed in Spain and Italy.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Playhouse West School and Repertory Theatre
4250 Lankershim Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91602
Robert Carnegie and Jeff Goldblum founded this school in 1981. The faculty members take an ensemble approach to teaching in the theater's ongoing beginning, intermediate, advanced, and senior advanced classes. The playhouse, which has a second North Hollywood location, Playhouse West Studio Two, also regularly develops and stages plays with members of the senior advanced class. Free audit is required.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Randolph Studio for Actor Training
Kate Randolph, Director
2700 Cahuenga Blvd. Ste. 3107
Los Angeles, CA 90068
fax: 323-851-1454
Small classes; Private coaching available; Beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels; Auditing is permitted upon request; Ongoing sessions.
Kate Randolph runs her own studio in Hollywood, teaching classes at all levels: beginning, intermediate, and pro. Concrete, universal tools are taught, "enabling each student to come away with a usable, practical technique to book the job, and to know what to do once you've booked it." Her emphasis is on finding joy in the work, "getting out of the head and into the heart...and soul." She insists on a class environment that is supportive and nurturing, at the same time pushing each actor to take risks and go beyond perceived limitations. She draws on her varied training with Uta Hagen, Stella Adler, Michael Moriarty, and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Her most recent influence is noted Russian master teacher Leonid Anisimov, whom she says "has brought Stanislavsky's system back to life in a fresh, powerful, palpable way...an acting technique for a new century." Classes are small to facilitate individual attention. Every student works each session. Scene study class culminates in a two-night industry showcase performed at a reputable L.A. theater venue. Randolph has been acting, teaching, and directing in L.A. and New York for more than 25 years. She has directed or coached such well-known artists as Bobby Costanzo, Bruce Davison, Julie Harris, Ron Perlman, Pamela Reed, Nancy Travis, Sherri Shepherd, and John Randolph. She also coaches privately for audition prep and/or monologue and scene work. She is seeking serious actors who are eager to learn and practice a craft.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
RAW acting studio
Guy Camilleri, Owner
The Lounge Theatre
6201 Santa Monica Blvd. (corner of El Centro)
Los Angeles, CA 90038
14–16 students per class; Private/on-set coaching available; Working audits permitted; Open-Level sessions are Mondays from 7:15–11:00 p.m.; The Professional Working Actor sessions are Wednesday from 7:15–11:00 p.m.; Sliding scale for those financially in need.
RAW acting studio offers two classes. The Open-Level class: A transformational ongoing class where specificity and basics coexist in a safe yet dynamic space. Actors in this class find themselves applying these specifics on the set, on stage and in casting offices with deeply satisfying results.
The Professional Working Actor: Designed specifically for the working actor to allow for artistic growth and a deeper exploration of character development while cultivating your own uniqueness. Work every week to manifest a passion project, push boundaries, increase and elevate your booking rate and prepare for upcoming auditions and meetings.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Richard Seyd Acting Studio
4949 Hollywood Blvd., Ste. 203
Los Angeles, CA 90027
12 students per class; Intermediate to professional level; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
"Richard Seyd knows what he's doing. You cannot do better," says Peter Coyote. "If you find you're often the best actor in a crowded class where you only work once every two or three weeks, make a change," says Seyd. "In our ongoing labs you will be able to work on every aspect of your craft. There are a maximum of 12 actors per class, so you work every week. We treat you like a professional and not like just another student. If you take your craft seriously, this is the studio you've been looking for." The studio hosts free orientations, led by Seyd, every six to eight weeks, which a studio spokesperson says provide a good way to meet Seyd and learn more about the studio. Auditing class is also free.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Rob Reece Actors Workshop
15 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Free audit available.
Rob Reece is a 42-year veteran of film, TV, and theater. Based in Los Angeles with classes in San Francisco, Reece teaches Progressive Method Acting, which he describes as "in-depth instrument work, craft tools described and demonstrated, understanding tension, inspiration, character work, script analysis, and the unconscious creative process." Reece is a lifetime member of the Actors Studio and has worked with Lee Strasberg, Jonathan Demme, Clint Eastwood, Sydney Pollack, Mark Rydell, Martin Landau, and John Sturges. Free audit.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Robert Beecher
Stage 13
10749 New Haven St., #15
Sun Valley, CA 91352
Private coaching only; All levels
Robert Beecher's Stage 13 offers one-on-one coaching for one hour for $20. It can be scenes, commercials, monologues, cold reading, or interview material.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Robert D'Avanzo
2811 Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91505
16 students per class. Also available for private coaching; Intermediate, advanced, and professional levels; Auditing is permitted by appointment; Ongoing sessions.
D'Avanzo describes his acting class at The Missing Piece Theatre as a "dynamic and thorough scene study class where the actor works every week in a prepared scene." D'Avanzo says he seeks out "blood-and-guts actors" who want the "stamp of truth on everything they say and do." Class size is limited. "I have received a great deal of top-management- and agency-referred clients for instruction. As a result, I've been able to work with some of the industry's newest upcoming stars and celebrities. It's very rewarding witnessing their growth as an artist and success in the industry," says D'Avanzo. Work is based on the teachings of Uta Hagen. D'Avanzo also offers his on-camera cold reading class that he says gets actors to the next level in their careers. Call to schedule an audit. Scene study classes are held at The Missing Piece Theatre 2811 Magnolia Bl. Burbank CA 91505 and his 6- Week On-Camera Cold Reading Class.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Robert F. Lyons
10 to 20 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Ongoing sessions.
Lyons is a working actor-teacher who wants his students to "learn what to apply and how to apply with actual workable technique." Students who have studied with Lyons include Juliette Lewis, Heather Locklear, Danny Masterson, Clea DuVall, Jason Dohring, and many others.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Audition Technique/Cold Reading
The Sacred Actor
Josh Galitsky
3017B Second St.
Santa Monica, CA 90405
6–10 students per class; All levels; Auditing by appointment only; Sessions start each month; Work-study may be available through accompanying theaters.
A safe, nurturing, nonjudgmental space for all levels to break through fears, perform your most genuine, powerful work, and audition with unbreakable confidence. Advanced classes produce dynamic original work for live stage performance.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Sam Christensen Studios
10440 Burbank Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
fax: 818-506-8941
14 students per class max; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing levels; Work-study available.
Christensen, a former casting director for "M*A*S*H," teaches ongoing classes devoted to assisting actors in becoming the most confident, powerful and compelling individuals they can be.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Sandra Caruso, Theater Professor
11916 Saltair Terrace
Los Angeles, CA 90049
Private coaching only; All levels.
Caruso, actor/director and professor in the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television for 30 years, offers private coaching and audition preparation. She studied with Meisner, Strasberg, Hagen, and Katselas, graduated from the NYU Theatre Department, and has a master's degree from UCLA. She's the author of three books, most recently, "The Actors Book of Improvisation: Dramatic Situations From Shakespeare to Spielberg."
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Sandra K. Horner Performance Studio
Sandra K. Horner, Founding Artistic Director
468 Camden Dr., Ste. 349B
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
fax: 818-997-6740
6–10 students per class; In-person and Skype private coaching available; All levels; Free monthly demo classes; Offers class entitled On-Camera Cold Reading & the Audition; Master class is ongoing; Barters are available.
Horner began her 31-year career in NYC, where she trained directly with master teacher from the Group Theatre, Robert Lewis. (Lewis taught Meryl Streep at Yale.) From there, Horner founded the Performance Studio in Minneapolis, and she has taught there and in L.A. for the past 21 years. Horner creates a supportive, no B.S. environment. She demystifies the Method, helping students build confidence through a solid understanding of the acting craft. As an agent, Horner brings creative marketing ideas that get you noticed, get you work, and leads to a rewarding career. Horner teaches on-camera cold reading techniques based in Lewis Script Analysis to teens and adults. Lewis' approach puts you in command of any text. On-camera "as if" auditions are practiced, so you are confident in every room. Private coaching/directing available for important auditions and marketing the actor; affordable hourly rates in-person or via Skype.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
The Sanford Meisner Center
206 295-6282
20 students per class max; All levels; Auditing allowed after interview only; Classes by sessions.
The Sanford Meisner Center believes that the purpose of an acting school is to get actors working professionally, and that begins with professional-level training. To do something well, you need to do it every day. With those tenets in mind, the center has developed powerful programs to get actors results. Launched in 1995 by Sanford Meisner and Martin Barter, the center is the only school in Los Angeles founded with Mr. Meisner himself. Now headed by Martin Barter, Mr. Meisner's assistant for more than 12 years, the center teaches the Meisner technique in its original two-year program the way Sandy taught it. Accelerated five-week intensives are also offered, as well as graduate-level scene-study classes and screenwriting classes. Graduates have gone on to win 10 Academy Awards, eight Emmys, and six Tonys.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Conservatory/University
Santa Clarita School of Performing Arts
Lynn Walker
23502 Lyons Ave., Ste. 105
Santa Clarita, CA 91321
Class sizes vary; Private coaching available; All levels; Ongoing sessions.
Offers a wide variety of classes for all levels of experience, including dance, voice, modeling, improv, scene study, audition techniques, and classes catering to young performers.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Young Performers
Santa Monica Playhouse Actors' Workshop
Serena Dolinsky, Director of Education
1211 Fourth St., Ste. 201
Santa Monica, CA 90401-1391
310-394-9779, ext. 673
fax: 310-393-5573
15 students per class max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; 6–12 week sessions; Internships available.
"It's about learning to make powerful and immediate choices for auditions and performance. Make the text come alive in your own voice," says Chris DeCarlo, Santa Monica Playhouse co-artistic director. Founded in 1960 by Ted Roter, James Arness, and Eric Braeden, and inherited by Mr. DeCarlo, the workshop combines physical theater and improvisation, training actors to conquer their inner critics and overcome fear of competition. Mickey Madden, bassist for Maroon 5, is a believer, describing the experience as "great in so many ways." Admission is by personal interview only.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Scott Colomby Workshop
Colomby's workshop has expanded its horizons. Originally conceived as a class geared toward the actor's personal growth within the confines of a scene study group, it has now added showcasing and production of plays. Colomby said his reasons are multifaceted: In his opinion, scene study class can limit an actor's sphere of concentration to himself, while working in a class on a play, then producing it, challenges an actor to explore his role from a larger perspective. Actors who appreciate this will start to understand the arc of their characters within a piece of writing – an awareness that should open up opportunities, in Colomby's view, because actors will better appreciate the intent of the writer, director, producer, and casting director. Auditing is encouraged.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Scott Conte
The Essence of Acting
1646 20th St.
Santa Monica, CA 90404
10 students per class max; Private coaching available; All levels; Free auditing available; Ongoing sessions. Work-study/internships available on a limited basis.
Actor Scott Conte, a student of William Esper and Maggie Flanigan, teaches his unique, Meisner-influenced approach to creating spontaneous, exciting, and emotionally alive work. You will learn how to stay creatively process-oriented, deliver the fast and emotionally authentic results needed to get the job, and present a finished product of substance with little or no rehearsal time.
The Essence of Acting Studio, an ongoing workshop, is a laboratory of creativity where you can safely take the risks that will cultivate yourself as an artist, and free you from fear and self-doubt – a "gym" where you are constantly sharpening, refining, and deepening your skills, making them habitual and instinctual. These skills will give you the confidence and power to always be ready for any situation you will encounter as an actor whether it's in a casting office, on a television or film set, or onstage in front of a live audience.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Private Coaching
Scott Sedita Acting Studios
Scott Sedita, Tony Rago
526 N. Larchmont Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90004
www.scottseditaacting.com; www.sitcomacting.com; www.makingitinhollywoodbook.com; https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/actor-audition-app/id500582297?mt=8
fax: 323-465-6202
16 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Limited auditing permitted (contact the studio for specifics); Ongoing sessions.
Former agent and casting director Scott Sedita, the 2008 Backstage Readers' Choice winner for favorite acting coach, is also the author of the best-selling books "The Eight Characters of Comedy" and "Scott Sedita's Guide to Making It in Hollywood," as well as the first acting teacher to have developed an app for the iPhone and iPad called Actor Audition App. The Scott Sedita Acting Studio is where the actor's craft and career come together. Sedita has helped developed the careers of Matt LeBlanc, Courteney Cox, Christopher Meloni, Emma Roberts, Josh Duhamel, Chace Crawford, and many others. The Scott Sedita Acting Studio is divided into two departments: comedy and drama. Scott teaches the One Day Comedy Intensive with Tony Rago, and the Advanced Sitcom class. Scott also teaches the Professional Audition Technique class. Tony Rago teaches the Sitcom Character & Technique class. Deborah Quayle teaches the On-Camera TV/Film Drama class. Jorge Pallo teaches Scene Study. Patrick Muñoz teaches Nuts & Bolts, an Introduction to TV/Film Acting, and provides training in voice and speech.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Sharon Chatten
Venice, CA
Private coaching available; All levels; Ongoing sessions.
A member of the Actors Studio and the Ensemble Studio Theater, Chatten teaches ongoing classes for committed students looking for an acting class as a gymnasium for their craft. The six-hour weekly classes include relaxation exercises, sensory work, scene study from TV, film, and contemporary play scripts, and improvisation. She also offers private coaching. Her high-profile coaching client list is extensive: to name a few, current clients include Ben Stiller, Vincent D'Onofrio, Marg Helgenberger, Keri Russell, and Kim Dickens.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Shawn Nelson Film Acting Master Class
Shawn Nelson
Valley Village, CA 91607
Eight students per class max; Industry referral only; Intermediate, advanced, and professional levels; Free audit required in most cases; Ongoing sessions most Tuesdays evenings.
Shawn Nelson, coach to stars and working actors for more than 25 years, teaches weekly on-camera classes. Work and notes are recorded on the mini-DVD or memory stick. Actors work on new, current material from film and television each class. Private coaching. Info at shawnnelsonacting.com
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
South Coast Repertory
P.O. Box 2197
Costa Mesa, CA 92628-2197
fax: 714-708-5529
18 students per class (youth and teen class); 20 students per class (adult class); 30 students per class (professional intensive); All levels; Auditing is not permitted; Ongoing sessions; Work-study permitted on a case-by-case basis.
This respected Orange County theater has an extensive education program through the Theatre Conservatory, directed by Hisa Takakuwa. The conservatory includes a progressive, multiyear youth and teen program, with its introductory summer theater workshop. The adult program, for those 18 and older, offers weekly evening classes in beginning through advanced acting, improvisation, acting for the camera, musical theater, screenwriting, and playwriting. The four acting levels take students from the fundamentals through advanced technique, including individual instruction in performance, scene work, characterization, and script analysis. The Professional Intensive Program is an eight-week summer course for serious career actors, who are accepted through audition. Classes include audition technique, script analysis, voice, Shakespeare, and physical characterization. The director of the Professional Intensive Program is LADCC winner Karen Hensel, who teaches alongside a staff of seasoned professionals.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Young Performers
Stacie Chaiken What's the Story? Studio
Second St. and Main St.
Los Angeles, CA
www.whatsthestoryla.com; www.staciechaiken.com
fax: 213-625-1025
12 students per class max; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing sessions with evening and weekend intensives; Work-study available.
What's the Story? Solo Performance Workshop is designed by Chaiken as an opportunity to develop solo work in a group process with a devoted and talented bunch of writer/performers, and to try things in front of a friendly audience on a regular basis. Every six weeks, each student meets privately with Chaiken for an intensive look at his or her project. She says the class is useful for actors who want to create solo work (autobiographical or not); writers who are wrestling with autobiographical or historical material; and storytelling artists (filmmakers, songwriters, poets, directors) who want to bring greater depth and immediacy to their work. Chaiken teaches acting and solo performance at the USC School of Theatre and teaches master classes in personal story across the United States and abroad. Her solo play, "Looking for Louie," has been performed in L.A. and N.Y., as well as abroad.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Staging Court Actors Lab
Cheryl Lubin
at The Complex Hollywood
6476 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
15 students max; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Staging Court offers a unique, nurturing, and rigorous approach to improvisation and scene study for actors in the heart of Hollywood. A renowned nationwide speaker on courtroom drama, Lubin uses techniques from the courtroom to help students recognize nuance, passion, sense of place, and intense scene study and audition techniques. Courtroom situations offer actors a chance to hone stage presence with concrete and powerful objectives, and the Actors Lab enhances skill and confidence for any play, film, or television role. While Staging Court features a special emphasis on courtroom drama in the improvisational segment of each class, students choose their own scene work to prepare for the performance portion of each class.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Stan Roth
Bay Area, CA
Cold Reading and Scene Study Classes; Private coaching available; All levels; Ongoing sessions.
After teaching and coaching actors in Los Angeles for 25-plus years, Stan Roth has relocated to the Bay Area. He teaches cold reading/scene study classes and is also available for audition coaching. Scene partners are paired according to their level of ability, experience, and compatibility. TV and film audition scenes are provided in every class. Rather than adhering to one particular philosophy or method, Roth says his approach is designed to teach reliable acting techniques that are applicable in any acting or audition situation. He prefers actors who are career-minded and goal-oriented. Admission is by preliminary interview and audition.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Audition Technique/Cold Reading
Steinlein Productions Institute
Iris Steinlein
5405 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 273
Los Angeles, CA 90036
15 students per class max; Private coaching available; Beginner and intermediate levels; Auditing not permitted; Classes by sessions; All participants will undergo an audition for a short film shot in August.
Young actors receive intensive training on the international level. Learn innovative techniques for your craft and gain new perspectives during this individualized program.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Stephanie Lloyd On Camera Actors' Workshop
1170 North Coast Highway
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Private coaching available.
Billed as "the L.A. Workshop in Orange County," Lloyd's is an actors' training center focused on talent development, career coaching, and establishing connections in the entertainment industry. Casting director Richard DeLancy teaches the weekly scene study and cold reading class for television and film. Guest instructors include Clio Award–winning director Richard Goldstone, teaching improv-based commercial acting; actors Oliver Macready and Emmy Award–winning Jordi Vilasuso, teaching daytime drama acting; casting director Lisa Pantone, teaching audition techniques; and Jeff Gerrard. Lloyd also offers private coaching, industry showcases, and a class for children.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Stephen Book Acting Workshop
Private coaching available; Must attend a free seminar to be eligible to apply; Ongoing sessions.
Book's famous workshop is tailored for professionals and teaches improvisation technique, the use of improvisation while speaking scripted lines. Book is a former longtime faculty member at Juilliard and USC, has taught in London and Moscow, and served as the executive director of the Spolin Theater Game Center. His students have included Val Kilmer, George Carlin, Maura Tierney, David Boreanaz, Sanaa Lathan, Tate Donovan, Marg Helgenberger, Carla Gugino, and William Hurt, who has been quoted as saying, "Improvisation is essential to acting, and Book is a terrific teacher." Book's students have won Oscars, Tonys, and Emmys. He is the author of "Book on Acting: Improvisation Technique for the Professional Actor in Film, Theatre, & Television," and the new book "The Actor Takes a Meeting: How to Interview Successfully With Agents, Managers, Producers, and Casting Directors."
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Steppenwolf Classes West
Small class sizes; Typically 8–16 students per class; All levels; Scene study and advanced classes require audition; Free introductory workshops several times a year; 8- to 12-week sessions, special workshops vary.
Offers exclusive scene study, viewpoints, and improvisation classes, as well as audition, on-camera, and Shakespeare workshops. Classes are taught by members of Steppenwolf Theatre's acclaimed ensemble and award–winning professionals in an environment where actors' work is respected and practicing craft is paramount.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Stuart Rogers Studios
5267 Lankershim Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
Ongoing sessions.
Rogers has taught for the last 10 years. Current and former students are network- and cable-television regulars, acting on Broadway, and performing in big-budget feature films. His students have won Emmys, Golden Globes, and Tony Awards. He offers scene study for all levels.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Audition Technique/Cold Reading
Studio C Artists
John Coppola and Michael Sonntag
6448 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
fax: 323-988-2144
20 students per class max; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions; Internships are available.
This all-encompassing acting studio offers a curriculum of acting classes, career-related seminars, and workshops. Teachers are industry professionals who use a formula that trains each actor to use and market his or her individual talents, assets, and personality.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Studio for Acting – Based on the teachings of David LeGrant
Edward Singletary, Class Administrator
8228 Sunset Blvd., Ste. 209
West Hollywood, CA 90069
Four students per session; All levels; Ongoing sessions; Mondays and Thursdays at 12 p.m. and Sunday evenings at 7 p.m.; Work-study/internships are available.
One of the advantages of being an actor who has produced and cast my own film projects is that I have learned a lot about life on "the other side of the table." I seek to share that experience with my students. The goal of this class is to help you hone your acting and audition skills such that when you leave an audition, you can say, "I did what I wanted to do!" Too often, as actors, our nerves get in the way of our talent. My class addresses this basic shortcoming. Taking its cue from the teachings of my mentor, longtime acting coach David LeGrant, my classes help you learn to make the interesting choices that will set you apart from everybody else in the room. I focus on your individuality and help you find yourself in whatever role you are attempting.
Our class format is simple. In keeping with the way the audition process works, I will email you hand-picked sides the night before class. When you arrive to class, you will be placed "on set." I shoot a total of five takes. We do two takes and then take an objective look at the choices you made on your own. We will then arrive at some adjustments for the remaining three takes. You will be a participant in making your own adjustments, with coaching from me as "the director." You will begin to see changes right away, guaranteed! I intentionally keep the class small, so you will receive a lot of individual attention.
The fee structure for class is as follows:
$125 for four sessions. We meet every Monday and/or Thursday at 12 p.m. at the Iconoclastic Features office on Sunset Boulevard (address above). A makeup time is available if you cannot make it to class for some reason. I will let students know in advance about those sessions. If there is another day or time that better suits your schedule, let me know and I'll see what I can do.
$50 per hour for individual coaching sessions.
I hope to see you in class!
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Susan Giosa Acting Workshop
Susan Giosa, Master Teacher; Rachel Boller, Assistant
1211 Fourth St.
Santa Monica, CA
20 students per class max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted and mandatory; Ongoing sessions.
Award–winning stage actress and coach Susan Giosa trained extensively with renowned acting teacher Larry Moss, and has been a working actress for more than 20 years. Geared to the serious performer, her ongoing classes are for all levels and focus on scene study, emotional exercises, script analysis, advanced character work, and audition techniques. She believes the ability to tap into and use your full emotional instrument on demand is essential for achieving truthful and compelling work. Giosa teaches her unique warm-up that "helps remove your inhibitions and fear of judgment and releases your full creative potential." Classes are kept small, creating an opportunity for students to work every session "in an intimate and supportive environment." Giosa also heads her new repertory company. She graduated with a B.A./M.A. in drama/ theater from NYU, trained at RADA in London, and worked with numerous award–winning playwrights, directors, and actors, including Neil Simon, Jack O'Brien, John Tillinger, Jerry Seinfeld, and Dennis Franz.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Ted Brunetti Studio
1445 N. Las Palmas Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Eight to 10 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Call for free audit; Enrollment by interview and referral only; 12-week sessions and ongoing; Work study available.
Uta Hagen's protégé, Actor's Studio invited member, producer, director, coach, and actor Ted Brunetti is faculty/guest faculty at the most prestigious directing and acting programs/institutions across the U.S. and Australia, with studios in L.A., Atlanta, and Australia. Brunetti coaches top-level actors with leads in major TV shows, films, "new media," and Broadway. Brunetti trains directors and producers at USC's School of Cinematic Arts, as well as its Peter Stark Producing Program, YouTube Creative Institute, the American Film Institute, Elon University in L.A., Brooks College, and Occidental College. Brunetti trains actors at the Ted Brunetti Studios (L.A., Atlanta, and Australia), HB Studio (NYC), the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, SAG Conservatory (L.A., San Diego, and Las Vegas), Howard Fine Studio, and more. Brunetti has worked with James Gandolfini (his last four films and TV series), Al Pacino, Whoopi Goldberg, George C. Scott, Jack Lemmon, Drew Carey, Mark Feuerstein (lead role for "Royal Pains"), Wanda Sykes, Mike Epps, Nicholle Tom, Valarie Pettiford, Tyra Banks, Mya, Scott Krinsky, Bren Foster, Stephen Sondheim, Jerry Zaks, Donald Petrie, Dan Petrie Sr., Rob Marshall, Diane Paulus, Flaherty & Ahrens, Will Finn, and many others. Brunetti's on-camera acting/audition classes focus on his internationally acclaimed "Preparing to WORK, Not Audition" where you perform the scenes off book and then film audition of scenes; Marilyn McIntyre's "Up Close & Personal" focuses on "Highly Charged Emotional Material in Extreme Close-Ups"; and "The Business of Acting," on having professional materials and tools in place. Brunetti keeps fees as affordable as possible. Classes fill fast, waitlist also available.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
The Artist Theatre Group
Anthony Montes
3634 Coldwater Canyon Ave.
Fireside Room
Studio City, CA 91604
818-400-2270 or 818-705-4364
Auditing of the first class is allowed.
The Artist Theatre Group, under the direction of Anthony Montes, has been teaching actors, writers, and directors since 1987. Montes teaches acting technique and scene study. Students are encouraged to take the work out of the classroom and create their own opportunities. Over the years, the Artist Theatre Group has produced 89 plays with its members, as well as several short films. Auditing of the first class is allowed. Montes is available for private coaching. Classes are on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
The Coaching Studio
Dale Rehfeld
Private coaching available; Limited enrollment.
Rehfeld combines a cold reading/acting class with a hands-on showcase in an effort to create "a supportive, intimate workshop setting." Invited guests include top filmmakers, producers, and casting directors from television and feature films. Rehfeld says she comes "highly recommended" by casting director Kerry Barden, whose credits include Boys Don't Cry, Shakespeare in Love, Peter Pan, and Sex and the City. Rehfeld is currently the executive producer of the television show Celebrity Autobiography on the Bravo Network and a talent consultant for the G4 network. She recently coached on the feature film Within. She also has a Pros and Kids youth division for children and teens. Private coaching is available.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Theatre Group
Los Angeles, CA 90034
Private coaching only; Beginning to Advanced.
Theatre Group Los Angeles offers private coaching in Method acting using the technique of objective, problem, and action, along with the "inner creative state," "super objective," and "core" as defined by Stanislavsky. The program includes the use of emotional memory, concentration, communion, adaptation, and restraint. Interview required.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Theatre West Associate Program
3333 Cahuenga Blvd. W.
Los Angeles, CA 90068
Six to 20 students per class; All levels; Audition is required; Ongoing sessions; Internship program available with $10-per-month fee and a work requirement of 10 volunteer hours per month.
This program provides a weekly three-hour class conducted by Laura James, professional director-teacher-actor. Theatre West has been a professional artistic cooperative for actors, writers, directors and designers for almost 50 years. As an associate member, in lieu of regular tuition, a work-trade of 10 hours per month plus a $10 monthly fee are required. Work-trade consists of chores around the theater: mailings, cleaning, ushering, etc. Added benefits as an associate may include: eligibility for casting in main-stage productions, and possible casting in readings for writers workshops and other workshops. The class is geared to develop actors at all levels, and the approach encompasses eclectic techniques and is primarily Stanislavsky-oriented. An audition is required.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
3-Day Demo and the Total Workshop for Acting, Created by Michael Savage, AKA "Sirtony"
www.3daydemo.com; www.thetotalworkshopforacting.com; http://www.sirtony.info
Private coaching available; All levels; Classes by sessions.
Savage is an alumnus of the Tony Award honoree the Acting Company, founded by John Houseman and Margot Harley. He is also a former star of "General Hospital." Savage's workshop is designed to provide custom demo reels from original material that he writes. He then creates short films for the actor's demo and full-length feature projects. Michael Savage, AKA "Sirtony" has won 15 film awards for best writer and best short films. His website showcases his actors 24/7. He also creates a career of films and a demo and site in three to 10 days where the actor is acting opposite himself or herself to show the variety and ability of the actor FASTER then a speeding bullet. Get footage that would take five to10 years in three to 10 days! YOU MUST go to http://www.3DayDemo.com and see the Award Winning Pioneer Work. Also go to the historic, award-winning acting workshop for details. (www.TheTotalWorkshopForActing.com) Private coaching is available in a "boot camp" style, and footage is done for a demo reel and site.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Tigertainment Studios
Westwood, CA
12 students per class max; All levels; Auditing permitted with RSVP; Classes periodically throughout the year; Work-study available.
Director-producer Michael John heads an experienced staff of instructors. The studio offers acting workshops in cold reading, audition techniques, and stage combat. There are also workshops with a certified personal trainer geared for the actor who wants conditioning or to lose weight. There is an in-house casting department for independent filmmakers, using the Tigertainment Talent Group. Free career guidance and consultations are offered for those enrolled. TS is also home to the "Game On" stunt team.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Tom Todoroff Studio
1323-A 3rd St. Promenade
Santa Monica, CA 90401
15-25 students per class; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Interview or audition required depending on program; Ongoing sessions.
Tom Todoroff has acted with, directed, or coached: Peter O'Toole, Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Tony Goldwyn, Claire Danes, Samuel L. Jackson, Marcia Cross, and Liam Neeson, to name a few. The work in our programs is all-encompassing and prescriptive, based on each individual's specific needs. It is designed to help the actor shed "competitive defense mechanisms," facilitating access to one's unique vulnerability, which is the cornerstone of all great acting.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Tony Torrisi's Acting Workshop
Small class sizes; Private coaching available; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
A member of the Actors Studio, having studied with Lee Strasberg in New York, Torrisi came west to work in TV. A 35-year acting veteran, he has been coaching fellow actors for 12 years and now teaches small, ongoing classes in West L.A., covering cold reading, improvisation, scene work, and camera technique, for "a well-rounded approach." Classes are $125 a month or $35 per class, and audits are okay. He also offers private coaching for $30 an hour. Torrisi says, "I don't teach. I give tools."
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
TVI Actors Studio
14429 Ventura Blvd., Ste. 118
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
fax: 818-784-6533
16 students per class; All levels; Auditing is permitted for some courses; Classes by session and ongoing
Founded in 1986, TVI Actors Studio is a nationwide resource and training center for professional and aspiring actors. TVI has studios in Los Angeles and New York, and conducts programs abroad at campuses in London and Sydney. TVI says it offers comprehensive and affordable acting classes, workshops, and seminars in all of its locations, including acting for film, television, and musical theater, for all ages and skill levels. Each TVI facility offers dramatic instruction, entertainment industry networking, professional career instruction, and marketing support. The faculty of more than 65 working industry professionals includes casting directors, agents, producers, directors, and working actors. Course content covers cold reading, audition technique, and acting in feature films, sitcoms, theater, improv, prime-time and daytime TV, voiceovers, and commercials. The optional membership package includes a range of benefits: casting director workshops with TV/film casting directors, use of studio space, agent and casting cover letters and mailing labels, career consultations, and computer workstations with Internet access. www.tvistudios.com. TVI Actors Studio-Los Angeles: 14429 Ventura Blvd., Ste. 118, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423; (818) 784-6500. TVI Actors Studio-New York: 165 W. 46th St., Ste. 500, New York, NY 10036; (212) 302-1900.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
The Valletta Actors Studio
Al Valletta, President
742 Genevieve St., Ste. F
Solana Beach, CA 92075
20 students per class max; All levels; One audit permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Valletta has taught acting for film and TV for more than 30 years in the Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego areas. He has taught at the college level and privately, and formerly owned the Backstage Theatre in Orange County. He has coached actors for film and TV roles. His workshop offers ongoing 8-week programs on film and TV acting. Showcases will be presented at the end of the semester. Highlights of the program include cold reading techniques, commercial training, improvisation, auditioning, and camera techniques. Oceanside and Solana Beach.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
The Vincent Chase Workshop
1206 N. Detroit St.
West Hollywood, CA 90046
Two to eight students per class; Private coaching available for auditions and film assignments; All levels; Auditing is permitted and recommended.
Vincent Chase has been teaching in the Los Angeles area since 1957. In 1960, he became the resident acting coach for MGM. In 1967, he transferred to Universal Studios. When the big studio contract system effectively came to a close in 1970, he opened his current workshop where he and his staff have been most effective in helping train the new, prospective actors coming into town. Currently, the workshop offers regular classes (small; eight to 10 students max) twice a week. In addition, each student has available to him private coaching sessions for industry roles, auditions, and any other areas in which he or she might feel the need for special attention such as voice and speech, learning or eliminating accents, and dialects that may positively or negatively affect the student's castability. This program, plus any additions such as industry seminars, will be considered as part of the basic monthly payment.
For those of you whose needs are limited to private coaching only for industry roles and auditions, prices will be based on the amount of time the project requires. Mr. Chase strongly recommends you attend a free audition class in which you will be asked to take an active part, so you may best decide if this is the right place for you. You can reach the workshop by phone at (323) 450-9424 or by email at: email@example.com.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
The Vision Acting Studio
Justine Visone, Kurt Sinclair
East Valley Family Y
5142 Tujunga Ave.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
12–15 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels.
Visone teaches an acting workshop with partner Kurt Sinclair, an actor-director, using the Meisner technique word games (the repeat), improvisation exercises, monologues, and cold reading on camera to record progress. Workshops include professional guest speakers and a professional showcase at the end of each semester. Three-hour classes, everyone works. Interview required.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Wayne C. Dvorak
1949 Hillhurst Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90027
12 students per class; Private coaching available; Beginner, intermediate, and professional levels; Free audit required; Sessions twice a year.
Dvorak has been teaching for 20 years, has been a professional actor for 25 years, and holds a BFA and an MFA in theater. He teaches the full two-year professional-level Meisner program, which is also for graduates. In addition to the Meisner technique, Dvorak emphasizes image packaging and business. Classes start at $160 per month. This class, Dvorak explains, focuses on the "art of acting, as well as on becoming a business professional." And, he adds, "I teach all of my own classes." He accepts 12 new students each September and 12 each January. An interview and free audit are required.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Business of Acting
WCI Studios - Billy Cowart
7542 Collett Ave.
Lake Balboa, CA
Eight students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Serious students only; Adults and children; Two-hour intro session and one free class; Ongoing sessions.
"This studio will contradict everything you've ever been told about acting and it will confirm everything you suspected to be true," says Cowart. He leads a staff of working actors, casting directors and directors, and a therapist. Courses include on-camera auditions, "Frozen Readings," "Nailing the One-Line Wonders," script analysis, monologues, improv, commercials, goals-vision-mission-intensive, marketing, and classes with guest directors and CDs. Students must be punctual and seriously interested in learning. Classes are ongoing but students must first attend a free introductory session and participant audit. Monthly tuition of $200, with reductions for bulk purchasing. Private coaching available. Additional locations in San Diego and San Marcos.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study
Will Wallace Acting Company
The Complex Theater
6472 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
15-20 students per class; All levels; Ongoing sessions.
The Will Wallace Acting Company offers a unique opportunity for actors to study with working directors, producers, and casting directors, as well as be trained by professional coaches. Many of our students book several jobs a year from class alone. We offer classes to students at all levels and offer lots of room to advance within the company. We pride ourselves on the supportive environment that we provide for our actors. This is a place to learn and grow.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, On-Camera Technique, Classical, Audition Technique/Cold Reading, Business of Acting
The William Alderson Acting Studio
1103 N. El Centro Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
12–16 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is not permitted; Ongoing sessions.
A successful New York actor who studied with Sanford Meisner, Alderson began teaching at Meisner's insistence and served as his assistant and associate director at the Neighborhood Playhouse for more than 20 years. Alderson came to Los Angeles in 1994 and now offers the Meisner technique in its intended two-year study period. He describes his as a "technical approach that teaches the actor specific tools so he can organically work out of himself. To act from the inside out is not easy, but once that is learned, it becomes like a religion to the talented actor, and he will not settle for less." Classes meet twice a week, and include a number of exercises that act as steps for actors to use in their instinctive and intuitive approach to character.
Specialties: Acting Technique/Scene Study, Private Coaching
Audition Technique/Cold Reading
Linda Berry, Instructor
4710 Hillcrest Ave.
La Mesa, CA 91941
Private and on-set coaching only; All levels; Specializes in beginner and intermediate, kids/teens.
Berry, who has had a marketing, management, and production company for more than 10 years, offers one-on-one personal training for beginning and intermediate actors, which includes monologue work, on-camera cold reading, and scene study. The work focuses on getting actors ready for auditioning, getting auditions, and getting the role. Two-hour personal one-on-one training sessions are $50. On the set, private coaching and special packages are available. Also offered to actors: "How to Master the Business Side of the Entertainment Industry" personal one-on-one training and consultation, which includes a workable marketing plan and useful promotion materials. Berry teaches actors ages 6 and up.
Specialties: Audition Technique/Cold Reading, On-Camera Technique, Acting Technique/Scene Study, Young Performers
Bob Rusch - Audition Coach
T.U. Studios
10943 Camarillo St.
North Hollywood, CA 91602
12 students max; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
On-camera audition technique for half-hour comedy, hourlong drama and film roles by putting the actor in a professional audition setting. Helps the actor make strong choices, improve their cold-reading skills, and develop better "in the room" presence, which enables them to audition with more confidence.
Specialties: Audition Technique/Cold Reading, Acting Technique/Scene Study, On-Camera Technique
Comedy Cast Intensive
Lynn Chao, Office Manager
Actors Comedy Studio
7461 Beverly Blvd., Ste. 202
Los Angeles, CA 90036
16 students per class max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is not permitted; Classes by sessions.
The Comedy Cast Intensive is taught by ACS co-founder Todd Rohrbacher, and one of the industry's top comedy casting directors. In this dynamic, one-day event, you will learn specific techniques for sitcom acting and auditioning, inside information about how the industry works, and, most importantly, you'll understand more about who you are in today's competitive marketplace.
Specialties: Audition Technique/Cold Reading, Private Coaching
David Lehman Studio
Julia Huffman, Teacher and Director
1819 W. Verdugo Ave.
Burbank, CA
12 students per class max; All levels; Free audit available; Ongoing sessions.
After studying with David for eight years, Julia Huffman is now the studio director and teacher of David Lehman's Studio (David taught with Charles Conrad for many years). The studio offers a wide range of classes for actors, from beginners to professional actors. Classes cover cold reading and on-camera memorized scenes. New classes in February with award-winning director John Ferraro and actor Mathew Jager.
Specialties: Audition Technique/Cold Reading, Acting Technique/Scene Study
Holly Powell Studios
Holly Powell, Owner
11650 Riverside Dr., #3
Studio City, CA 91602
12 students per class max; Professional level; Admission to class is by referral, or a picture and résumé must be submitted; Auditing not permitted; 5-week sessions.
Emmy Award–winning former casting director Holly Powell teaches five-week audition workshops that demystify the audition process. Other actors "act as" producers as the actor travels through the "preread" with the casting director, the "callback" for producers, reading for studio executives, and "testing" at the network. All auditions are on-camera and Holly's "6 Audition Tools Method" help transform the actor's mental focus into that of an athlete.
Specialties: Audition Technique/Cold Reading, On-Camera Technique
Ken Lerner Studio
11006 Magnolia Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA
20 students per class; Private coaching available; Beginner to advanced levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Ken began teaching for his mentor, the late Roy London, who gave Ken the honor of being his first student teacher. Ken has been teaching cold reading and scene study classes for the past 25 years and has helped numerous actors book jobs in movies, TV shows and pilots. Ken's technique combines the wisdom of the great acting teachers with whom he has studied—Roy London, Stella Adler, and Peggy Feury—with his own hands-on experience as a steadily working actor. Very few acting teachers actually work as actors, and Ken's experiences on sets and onstage give him the ability to share inside information with his students. Ken's positive approach to the work and outstanding ability to break down scripts help him to nurture and bring out the best qualities in his acting students. Ken is in the trenches all the time and imparts his experiences in a gentle, but firm way. Ken has continued to work in TV, movies, and commercials for the last 32 years, making his a recognizable face everywhere he goes. He has appeared in more than 100 top television shows, including "Two and a Half Men," "Weeds," "CSI," "Without a Trace," "Desperate Housewives," and "Castle."
Specialties: Audition Technique/Cold Reading, Acting Technique/Scene Study, Private Coaching
Leslie Fleming–Mitchell, Acting Coach for Film and TV
Altadena/Pasadena/La Canada/Eagle Rock, CA
12 students per class max; Private coaching in person and via Skype; All levels; Auditing is permitted; 4- to 12-week sessions for adults and teens; Work-study/internships available.
Leslie Fleming-Mitchell has worked extensively in front of and behind the camera as an actor, director, casting director, and acting coach for actors preparing for film and TV roles. She's cast independent features, including "the Mad Songs of Fernanda Hussein," winner of the Rosa Luxembourg award. Students include Emile Hirsch ("Into The Wild"), Hank Harris ("Pumpkin"), Rockmond Dunbar ("Sons of Anarchy"), Robert Wahlberg ("The Departed"), and Michael Mantenuto ("Miracle").
Ongoing on-camera classes, including classes for teens. Private coaching in person or via Skype. Coaching for auditions, as well as taping/submitting auditions. Drawing from highly effective exercises and techniques from Meisner to Stanislavsky, she helps actors achieve the desired goal of truthful, compelling, unique creations and impeccable taped auditions. Beginning to professional levels. $130/four sessions for group classes with four-class commitment; $60/hour for private coaching.
Specialties: Audition Technique/Cold Reading, On-Camera Technique, Private Coaching
Marci Liroff Private Coaching
Offers small classes; Private coaching available in person or via Skype (http://www.marciliroff.com/new/coaching/); All levels; Visit website for announcements (http://www.marciliroff.com/new/audition-bootcamp/).
For Coaching: Liroff teaches actors what they need to know before, during, and after their auditions. She uses her skills as a veteran casting director to prepare them to win the part…before they even enter the room. Your audition should not feel like a visit to the doctor! It is your time to show us what you've got. Liroff will help you feel more in your body than you've ever felt before. Her coaching is for working professionals for upcoming auditions or jobs, as well as actors who need guidance in self-taping and/or working on scenes for a class. www.marciliroff.com/new/coaching/
For Classes: Liroff offers three-night intensive courses in L.A. to learn how to "nail it." Hers is a hone-and-tone course, not a fundamental skills class, and is aimed at working professionals.From her over 30 years as a casting director and producer, Marci will explore audition techniques, breaking down the character and script, online opportunities, mindset, and on-camera technique. Liroff will provide you with essential knowledge of the competitive world of auditioning from the point of view of directors, producers, studio executives, and casting directors. www.marciliroff.com/new/audition-bootcamp/
Specialties: Audition Technique/Cold Reading, Business of Acting, Private Coaching
Melissa Skoff's Professional-Level Cold Reading Classes
Melissa Skoff, Casting Director and Acting Coach
10107 Camarillo St.
Toluca Lake, CA 91602
Up to 16 actors per class; Private coaching for actors of all ages; Professional level (kids and teens at all levels); Auditing is permitted; Ongoing classes for Adults, Teens, Kids, and Little Kids starting at age 6.
Casting director Skoff teaches professional-level ongoing cold reading classes and also does private coaching for adults, for teens, and for kids. She will show you how to get the callback and how to book the job. She's cast over 100 features, pilots, series and MOWs. She was named one of Hollywood's Top 20 TV Casting Directors when casting "JAG." Her experience covers drama and comedy, including sketch comedy. Skoff has been a Casting Executive at Warner Bros. and Fox Broadcasting, as well as casting independently. She has a keen eye for talent and helped put some of today's biggest stars on the map including Vince Vaughn, Jim Carrey, Jennifer Aniston, Robert Downey Jr., David Spade, Lauren Graham, and Catherine Bell. Skoff, a trained actress herself, creates a positive environment that encourages actors to challenge their skills. Industry professionals frequent the class. Classes are purchased by the month. Reasonable rates; missed classes can be made up. Disclaimer: No guarantee of employment.
Specialties: Audition Technique/Cold Reading, Acting Technique/Scene Study, Private Coaching
Paul Gutrecht
Four to six students per class; Intermediate to professional levels; Auditing is not permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Small classes, semiprivate and private coaching that focuses on the work-life realities of actors. Who ever gets enough auditions to stay relaxed and confident about the process? Use ongoing audition simulations to prep for any upcoming auditions and to stay in shape in between them. Learn to handle anything that throws you off, ranging from a distracting waiting room environment to on-the-fly adjustments to your work at auditions or on set. Develop camera sense: how you adapt your acting to the camera.
Specialties: Audition Technique/Cold Reading, On-Camera Technique
The Richard Lawson Studios
Morgan Martin, Registrar
4450 Tobias Ave.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
fax: 818-990-0369
Scene study: 50 students per class; On-camera: 20 students per class; Ongoing audition: 15 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted, but there is a free open class once a month; 16-week sessions (on-camera class) and ongoing.
Lawson is an award–winning actor-director with more then 40 years' experience, having appeared in more than 50 films, 100 TV shows, and 50 plays. He has taught at the Beverly Hills Playhouse for 25 years. His acting approach is based upon moment-to-moment spontaneous work that is inspired by imagination, passion, and purpose; driven by a sense of reality, intelligence, and logic; grounded in the patience to listen, the willingness to be affected, and the courage to ask the next question. Drawing from Stella Adler, who said "I don't teach actors to be actors, I teach people to be people," Lawson embraces a similar philosophy. He gets the actor to be as personal (drawing from their own life experience) as possible even though they may be playing characters far removed from themselves. Lawson teaches scene work as the basic platform of study. Environmental exercises, picture exercises, song and dance exercises, improvisation, and other exercise models are used on an individual basis to supplement and support what is discovered through scene study. Lawson also offers a course titled, "The On-Camera Audition and Cold Reading Class," which provides DVD documentation to students by the course's end. Each 12-week course is $900. A 16-week "Boot Camp" for advanced actors with industry experience is available for $1,200.
Specialties: Audition Technique/Cold Reading, Acting Technique/Scene Study
The BGB Studio - Bramon Garcia Braun
Risa Bramon Garcia and Steve Braun
The BGB Studio
10999 Riverside Drive
North Hollywood, CA 91602
12–16 students per class; All levels, from new to seasoned actors, depending on the class; Auditing not permitted; Eight-week or ongoing classes; Work-study/internships offered when available.
The BGB Studio is dedicated to revolutionary training, and to connecting craft to career. We help actors of all levels add their unique voice to a script or scene and we present opportunities for that work to be seen by top industry professionals. We train actors to bring their unique and compelling interpretation to the work so that casting directors, directors, writers, and producers get to experience their talent at its best. At The BGB Studio, actors learn to quickly interpret the strange and often confusing notes given in an audition room and then satisfy the requirements of those notes through the filter of their own unique voice. We are committed to actors' creative and professional success.
Specialties: Audition Technique/Cold Reading, Acting Technique/Scene Study
Wallace Audition Technique
Craig Wallace
1148 Fourth St.
Santa Monica, CA 90403
Eight students per class max; All levels; Auditing on a case-by-case basis; Classes run in six-week cycles.
Backstage Expert Wallace says he has parlayed his many years of experience as a producer, talent agent, and casting consultant into the creation of the Wallace Audition Technique, which he says is a "rock-solid technique that ensures confidence and consistency in high-pressure audition situations, and allows you to convey your distinctive energy, own the room, and book the job." The six-week class – created by agents, producers, and casting directors – takes students through the entire audition process.
Specialties: Audition Technique/Cold Reading
Business of Acting
Acting Business Boot Camp
Peter Pamela Rose, Certified life/career coach for actors
13924 Panay Way, Ste. 601
Marina del Rey, CA 90292
Group intensives; Private coaching available; All levels; Free phone and live seminars; Free MP3 by email request; Ongoing sessions.
Peter Pamela Rose, PCC, uses her extensive experience and skills as a certified coach to motivate actors, empowering them with the courage and opportunity to show their talent with honesty and confidence without fear. Recommended by top agents and casting directors. Also coaches in New York.
Specialties: Business of Acting
Mark Chaet
Private coaching only; Beginner and intermediate.
Chaet teaches business for actors through private instruction. He focuses on goal-setting and methods for organizing and advancing one's career.
Specialties: Business of Acting
Wendy Haines Ignite Your Career Workshops
30 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is not permitted; Ongoing sessions; Work-study available upon request
"Launch your career and achieve the level of success and fulfillment you desire," says Haines ("ER," "The West Wing," "Art School Confidential," "The Island"). She says she has developed a system to master the "inner game" of succeeding as an actor. "Discover what holds you back, effectively move beyond what keeps you stuck, and set goals to achieve what you want," she says. Haines offers a one-day Ignite Your Career workshop four times a year, one-on-one career coaching, and a home-study version of her workshop.
Specialties: Business of Acting
The Antaeus Academy
Deirdre Murphy, Artistic Associate
5114 Lankershim Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
fax: 818-506-5436
18–22 students per class; Intermediate to advanced levels; Auditing is permitted; Spring, summer, and fall semesters currently running; Limited work-study internships available.
The Antaeus Academy offers advanced training in the classics to actors of all ages and levels of training. A project of the Antaeus Company, L.A.'s classical theater ensemble, the academy trains actors in the classics through a variety of scene study workshops. Classes meet weekly and are moderated by a rotating group of Antaeus Company members, directors, and acting teachers. Moderators have included, among others: Dakin Matthews, Armin Shimerman, Gregory Itzin, and John Glover. All actors participating in the academy are considered a part of the Antaeus community and may be eligible to participate in events, workshops, and main-stage productions. Also, after taking classes with us, students may be eligible for invitation into our A2 Ensemble, an ancillary of the Antaeus Company proper. Admission into the Antaeus Academy is by audition only; looking for actors with classical training and experience, but will consider beginners with strong potential. Tuition varies.
Specialties: Classical
Jenifer Parker - No Feare Shakespeare
P.O. Box 92299
Pasadena, CA 91109
Private coaching only; All levels.
Parker offers private coaching for auditions, workshops, and classes in classical acting. She received her training at American Conservatory Theater, Shakespeare & Company, and with Patsy Rodenburg. She has received numerous awards playing leading roles in regional theaters and in Los Angeles. She has taught at South Coast Repertory, Theatricum Botanicum, Idyllwild Arts Academy, American Academy of Dramatic Arts, American Musical & Dramatic Academy, A Noise Within, and Stella Adler Academy of Acting, and is a member of Classical Theatre Lab and L.A. Women's Shakespeare Company. For more than 20 years, she has taught techniques designed to help the contemporary actor become more confident in handling Shakespeare, including scansion, text analysis, historical context, characterization, vocal techniques, and period customs and mannerisms.
Specialties: Classical
Kate Geer's Shakespeare Survival School
15 students per class max; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing sessions.
The purpose of Geer's class is to give each actor a solid base in the classics. Geer believes after an actor conquers the classics "the rest is easy." Students of all levels work together in the same environment using an integration of approaches. Basic scansion, text analysis, verse, and prose are taught to lay a solid technical foundation for the actor. Students expand and perfect audition material, polish the fine points of speech and delivery technique, and work on more intricate scenes from Shakespeare as well as other classic literature. Actors are encouraged and welcome to use the class to develop contemporary audition monologues. Each actor is treated on an individual basis according to their own needs and interests. Classes are located at the Carousel Stage in Topanga, Calif. Geer has extensive list of theatrical credits, including roles in repertory with ACT, APA, Stratford Shakespeare Festival, and the Los Angeles Theatre Center. She is currently active in television and film and has worked with such notables as Eve Le Gallienne, Ellis Rabb, William Ball, Jules Irving, and John Houseman. Geer is a founding member of Theatricum Botanicum in Topanga. She has been a teacher and a director of classical and contemporary acting for many years. Ms. Geer is building a small repertory group to perform free Shakespeare for the public.
Specialties: Classical
Martin Jago
Los Angeles, CA
15–20 students per class; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Classes by appointment only
Jago's special emphasis is on classical theater, focusing on Shakespeare. Author of "To Play or Not to Play," an acting Shakespeare how-to book. He adopts a practical, on-your-feet working method to the Bard.
Specialties: Classical, Acting Technique/Scene Study, Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction, On-Camera Technique, Audition Technique/Cold Reading
A Noise Within
3352 E. Foothill Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91107
fax: 626-356-3120
5–20 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels, including children; Working audits are permitted; Ongoing sessions; Acting and production internships offered in fall and spring.
A Noise Within is one of only a handful of theaters in North America that maintain a resident company performing in rotating repertory on a year-round basis. The company's resident and guest artists, directors, and designers have trained at Yale School of Drama, Juilliard, CalArts, and American Conservatory Theater. According to Dawn Kellogg, education director, "The company offers conservatory and internship programs that provide focused, personal attention from skilled, working professionals in a welcoming environment that seeks to develop the whole artist." Conservatory classes include Speaking Shakespeare, Acting Shakespeare, and the Young Actor's and Teen Actor's Workshops. Co-founder–Artistic Director Julia Rodriguez Elliott presents the Sat. Morning Workout for serious actors each weekend and is also available for private coaching. The internship program, offered in fall and spring, provides an opportunity for developing actors and technicians to immerse themselves in every aspect of repertory theater and to work side by side with professionals to hone their skill. Interns are cast in understudy and supporting roles in the company's rotating repertory season.
Specialties: Classical
Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum Academy of the Classics
D.J. Hamer, Adult Programs Manager
1419 Topanga Canyon Blvd.
Topanga, CA 90290
310-455-2322 ext. 222
fax: 310-455-3724
10–16 students per class; All levels; Ellen Geer's master class is limited to professional actors and directors; Audition required; Auditing is not permitted; Six- to 10-week sessions for most classes; Acting and production internships are available, as well as a limited number of professional training packages.
This summer repertory company and 300-seat outdoor amphitheater in the Santa Monica Mountains is also home to a professional theater training program that was launched more than 30 years ago by actor-director Ellen Geer. For adults, offerings include a five-week, 90-hour summer intensive Shakespeare seminar; a five-weekend, 85-hour winter intensive Shakespeare seminar; spring and summer eight-week Shakespeare scene study and monologue workshops; a winter eight-week master class in classical theater (taught by Ellen Geer); a variety of technique workshops (improvisation, fencing, Alexander Technique, rhetoric, text analysis, period movement, voice, and speech), as well as an Equity-candidacy acting internship program. All instructors are working professionals in the theater world. Youth and teen classes and summer camps are also offered.
Specialties: Classical, Acting Technique/Scene Study
Buddy Powell's Commercial Acting For Adults
15–20 students per class; All levels; Specializes in beginners; Auditing is not permitted; Ongoing sessions; Enrollment open.
Featured on KCET's "Visiting With Huell Howser," Buddy Powell teaches the skills necessary for adults to begin a career in television commercial acting. These weekly on-camera classes are designed for mature beginners. Classes are offered weekdays in Hollywood, North Hollywood, Burbank, Pasadena, and Culver City.
Specialties: Commercials/Voiceover
Carolyne Barry's Commercial, Improv, Acting Workshops, Hosting, and Musical Theatre
14–18 students per class; All levels; Interview required for auditing; Classes by session and ongoing.
In her 30-plus years in the commercial business, Barry has been a master audition teacher since 1982, appeared in more than 400 national TV commercials and 100 films and TV shows, casted hundreds of commercials, directed an Off-Broadway musical, has two published CD and DVD programs for actors on the market, created MasterTalentTeachers.com, wrote the best-selling book, "Hit the Ground Running," and currently is a contributing writer for Backstage.com. Barry's programs offer commercial, improv, acting workshops, Meisner programs, hosting, and musical theater. Each division has separate workshops for the beginning, intermediate, and professional actor. Barry and her staff of professional teachers offer 18 workshops. Classes range between eight weeks to one year; fees range from $395 to $575, and she offers payment programs and use of credit cards. Class sizes are limited, and an interview is required for most classes.
Specialties: Commercials/Voiceover
Commercial Acting with Adrienne Omansky
Adrienne Omansky, Commercial Acting Instructor
Venice Service Area
611 5th Ave.
Venice, CA 90291
See "adrienne's actors" on youtube
fax: 310-392-3461
25 students per class; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Open Enrollment.
This course provides students with the fundamental skills necessary to pursue a career in the field of commercial acting as well as the opportunity to apply competencies learned in this course by performing in industry and community performances. Classes include on-camera commercial acting techniques and improvisation. $30 per semester per student. Specializing in older adult talent. Classes are open to all adults ages 18 and up, all levels. Open enrollment.
Specialties: Commercials/Voiceover
Dan Balestrero - MasteringVoiceover.com
Agua Dulce/Santa Clarita, CA 91390
661-450-6004 or 310-827-3500
10 students per class max; Private coaching available; All levels; Free introductory seminar; Ongoing sessions; Work-study/internship program available.
Dan Balestrero has taught vocal technique for voiceover artists and actors for over a quarter of a century. He currently has several corporate voiceover clients and has provided voiceovers for more than 450 corporations. His voiceover artists have worked for CBS, ABC, NBC, the WB, Fox, Dreamworks, Paramount, Disney, Tribune Broadcasting, and DirectTV, as well as virtually all the other major advertising agencies and motion picture studios. Balestrero's classes and workshops emphasize cold reading skills, breath and voice development, voiceover styles, naturalness of delivery, home studio setup, and business networking skills. Voiceover training MP3 downloads are also available on the website.
Specialties: Commercials/Voiceover, Audition Technique/Cold Reading, Business of Acting
Foley/Marra Casting
Megan Foley Marra and Chuck Marra, Casting Directors
13425 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
10–12 students per class; All levels; Auditing for the ongoing class only; Ongoing sessions; Work-study available.
Megan and Chuck Marra offer a weekly class as well as their famous one-day audition intensives for adults and for kids. They also offer online mentoring and coaching.
Specialties: Commercials/Voiceover
Jeff Gerrard Casting Intensive Four-Week Commercial Workshop
13425 Ventura Blvd., Second Fl.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
10–12 students per class max; Private theatrical coaching available during "pilot" season; All levels; Auditing is not permitted; By sessions only four times per year.
Jeff Gerrard has been offering this commercial intensive for the past 25 years. This four-week workshop is offered ONLY four times a year. Class size is limited to 10 so Gerrard can work one-on-one with his students. The workshop covers the business and technical side of commercial acting, including specific kinds of commercial demands: eating, singing, M.O.S., props, cue cards, dialogue-driven spots, and improvisations with fellow actors. Private theatrical coaching also available.
Specialties: Commercials/Voiceover
Kalmenson & Kalmenson Voice Casting
Donna DuBain, Director of Education
105 S. Sparks St.
Burbank, CA 91506
818-377-3600, ext. 111
Eight to 10 students per class; All levels; Auditing is not permitted; Ongoing sessions.
The owners of Kalmenson & Kalmenson commercial voice casting service have spent 25 years educating actors, and say the work begins from the moment the actor makes his or her first contact with any member of the Kalmenson education department. "Actors deserve the truth" is the Kalmenson credo. "We ask the actor to deliver with honesty. We demand no less from ourselves as teachers." Voiceover classes are available for all levels and are taught in the same full-service recording studios where auditions are held daily. Improv and scene study classes also offered.
Specialties: Commercials/Voiceover, Improv and Comedy, Acting Technique/Scene Study
L.A.'s Best Commercial Workshop
Ryan Garcia, Administrator; Bill Bailey, Instructor
Actors Comedy Studio
7461 Beverly Blvd., Ste. 202
Los Angeles, CA 90036
12 students per class; All levels; Auditing is not permitted; Classes by sessions.
LA's Best Commercial Workshop offers you the most current information on the art of commercial audition technique. This six-week, comprehensive class will familiarize beginners with every aspect of commercial auditioning, challenge veteran actors with a new perspective, and provide all students with the resources and knowledge to audition and book commercials with complete confidence.
Specialties: Commercials/Voiceover
Marc Cashman – Cashman Commercials: The "Cashman Cache" of Voice Acting Techniques
Los Angeles, CA
Eight to nine students per class; Beginner, intermediate, advanced, and professional levels; Audits encouraged; Payment plan available; Ongoing sessions.
This Clio Award–winning casting director and producer instructs beginning, intermediate, advanced, and professional voice actors on the tricks of the trade in developing a successful radio/TV voiceover career, through his 25 years of audio production with Cashman Commercials, one of the top VO production companies in the country. Students can audit a three-hour class for $20 and pay in installments when they sign up for a six-week course.
Specialties: Commercials/Voiceover
Orange County Commercial Acting Workshop
Ron Michaelson
Five to six students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Six-week sessions (beginning), Five-week sessions (advanced).
Ron Michaelson, the "Ditech Guy" and a working actor for more than 25 years, teaches beginning and advanced on-camera commercial classes. His school, based in Tustin, also offers an improv class and a cold reading technique class for TV/film.
Specialties: Commercials/Voiceover, Audition Technique/Cold Reading. Improv and Comedy
Sandra Merrill Commercial Class
phone: 323-662-7720
Three to six students per class; Private coaching available; Ongoing sessions.
Merrill teaches on-camera commercial classes for beginning, intermediate, and advanced students. A former casting director and talent agent, she offers actors insight into finding an agent and into successful audition techniques. Areas of focus include comedy dialogue, spokesperson, personal interview, and working with other actors and product. Emphasis is on developing improvisational skills–the cornerstone, Merrill believes, of most commercial bookings. Classes are small, and each student is guaranteed to work on-camera every class. Prior acting experience recommended.
Specialties: Commercials/Voiceover
Sandy Holt/Voicecaster
Private coaching available.
Sandy Holt, a Second City Chicago alum, is giving a commercial/animation class focused on characters and copy. She is a voice caster for TV and films. Credits include: TV series "Scrubs," the pilot "So NoTORIous," the DreamWorks animated feature "Over The Hedge," "Antz," "Prince of Egypt," "Holes," "Boogeyman," "About Schmidt," "The Lizzie McGuire Movie," and "Ali". She teaches a voiceover workshop that covers how to sharpen your audition skills and book the job, making the copy your own and being original, making money, having fun playing different characters, improvising, and learning recording techniques. She produces demos custom-made to the actor's talents. The workshop is for actors who want to book work in commercials and animation.
Specialties: Commercials/Voiceover, Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Stuart Stone Casting
Students per class varies; Private coaching available; All levels; Kids and adults; Four-week sessions and private sessions; Work-study/internship available periodically.
Stuart Stone has created a commercials workshop to teach actors how to audition with his proven audition techniques. He has helped actors book commercials and learn what advertising agencies and directors are looking for, understand their type, and develop what makes a successful working commercial actor. His students become working actors, and many have booked by the second class. You can be working within weeks after working with Stuart. He also teaches over Skype.
Specialties: Commercials/Voiceover
Terry Berland - Berland Casting
c/o 310 Casting Studios
2329 Purdue Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
14 students max; All levels.
Berland teaches an on-camera technique workshop designed to enable talent to give the small commercial space multiple dimensions and reveal depth and layers of their personality in less than 30 seconds. The end result will be a performance that is connected and involved in the scene, as opposed to a sell. Berland is a Clio Award–winning casting director who has been casting commercials for more than 20 years; co-author of "Breaking Into Commercials"; and is called on nationally to teach commercial acting technique in a weekend format.
Specialties: Commercials/Voiceover
VO2GOGO - Voiceover Training
David H. Lawrence XVII, Lead Instructor
Actors Comedy Studio (one of four locations)
7461 Beverly Blvd., Ste. 202
Los Angeles, CA 90036
15 participants per class max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Monthly, day-long intensives.
David H. Lawrence XVII was chosen favorite voiceover teacher in Backstage's Readers' Choice Awards for this series of ongoing monthly intensives, training actors in both voiceover skills and voiceover career management. Each class includes a worksheet, a lecture, and actual on-mic work, with the audio given to participants in MP3 format. Classes are taught in multiple locations, including Hollywood, Burbank, Irvine, and San Francisco, as well as online at www.vo2gogo.com.
Specialties: Commercials/Voiceover, Business of Acting, Voice/Dialects/Accent Reducation
Voiceprint West
c/o 310 Casting Studios
2329 Purdue St.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
Small class sizes; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Seminars, workshops, one-day workouts, and events. Special home reads and self-direct, and marketing seminars offered. Up-to-the-minute training with working industry professionals Terry Berland, Nick Omana, Allen Lulu, and others.
Specialties: Commercials/Voiceover
Academy of Art University
79 New Montgomery St., Fourth Fl.
San Francisco, CA 94105
Auditing not permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Founded by artists for artists, the Academy of Art University, San Francisco, School of Motion Pictures & Television/Acting continues to improve and expand its accredited A.A., BFA, and MFA programs. Recent classes have been added under the supervision of department director Diane Baker: Advanced Acting for Performance; Advanced Voice: Speech and Singing; Advanced Movement: Alexander Technique; and Modern Dance. These classes assume a love and dedication to the acting craft. All classes are taught in world-class facilities with top industry professionals.
Specialties: Conservatory/University
American Academy of Dramatic Arts – LA
Steven Hong, Director of Admissions
1336 N. La Brea Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
fax: 323-464-1128
12-16 students per class; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing sessions; Work-study positions available.
America's first and foremost acting conservatory, the academy was founded in 1884 and the Los Angeles branch opened in 1974. Located in the heart of Hollywood, the academy continues the tradition of excellence with its fully accredited two-year conservatory program, culminating in an associate of arts degree. Areas covered in the conservatory program include acting, voice and speech, movement, theater history and styles, fencing, make-up, musical theater, and Shakespeare, among others. Classes in working on-camera are offered in the second year, where students apply what they've learned to film media. A select group of students are accepted into a third-year repertory company. In addition, the academy offers four- and two-week summer intensives in acting for the camera, audition technique, and youth theater. The academy has campuses in Los Angeles and New York. The New York campus is located at 120 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, 800-463-8990.
Specialties: Conservatory/University, Acting Technique/Scene Study
CalArts School of Theater
Miranda Wright, Admissions Counselor, School of Theater
24700 McBean Parkway
Valencia, CA 91355-2340
www.calarts.edu and http://theatercalarts.com/home
Eight to 15 students per class; BFA, and MFA offered; Fall entrance only; Auditing not permitted; Work-study/internships available.
The California Institute of the Arts School of Theater is one of the nation's leading professional training programs. The training environment is designed to support the creation of new work and original interpretation. Productions and class work complement each other, challenging students to redefine performance on the basis of an appreciation for theater traditions. In all aspects of its work, the school encourages students to develop skills, to take risks, and to commit fully to the collaborative process.
Specialties: Conservatory/University
East West Players Actors Conservatory
Marilyn Tokuda, Arts Education Director
120 N. Judge John Aiso St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-625-7000, ext. 15
fax: 213-625-7111
Eight to 12 students per class; All levels; Auditing permitted with permission of the instructor; Classes by sessions; Limited number of full and work-study scholarships available.
East West Players, the nation's premier Asian-Pacific-American theater, offers year-round actors conservatory classes that provide professional training for the stage. The Fundamentals of Acting class series I, II, and III provides a firm foundation for those with little or no acting experience. This class explores sensory, improvisation, and character exercises, as well as monologue work. Upon completing the Fundamentals of Acting class series, students are eligible to enroll in the Studio Lab Project (SLP) which culminates in performance at completion of 12-week class. The purpose of the SLP is to give students the opportunity to put newly acquired skills into motion. Also offered this fall are Voice with Deborah Shulman, and Voice and Speech with Leslie Ishii. Some scholarships are available to those who qualify, and discounted enrollment fees are available to EWP ACTS members.
Specialties: Conservatory/University
Orange County High School of the Arts
1010 N. Main St.
Santa Ana, CA 92701
fax: 714-664-0463
20–30 students per class; Must have min. 2.0 GPA; Classes August–June with summer, weekend, and evening classes available; Auditing not permitted; Work-study/internships vary by conservatory.
This year the Orange County High School of the Arts is celebrating 20 years of excellence. Nationally recognized as one of the premier arts schools in the country, the Orange County High School of the Arts embraces and encourages artistic creativity and academic excellence. Serving grades seven to 12, this innovative public charter school provides bright and talented students with a nurturing environment focused on individual growth, opportunity, and diversity. Students study in one of 11 arts conservatories and participate in one of the top academic programs offered in Orange County.
Specialties: Conservatory/University, Young Performers
Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts
Gloria Lopez
at Allan Hancock College
800 S. College Dr.
Santa Maria, CA 93454-6399
fax: 805-928-7506
12–18 students per class; Admission by audition; All levels; Auditing by permission only; Classes by sessions; EMC Program.
PCPA Theaterfest (the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts), the professional regional theater company of the Central Coast, has been producing professional theater and training theater professionals for more than 40 years. PCPA's conservatory program is geared for serious students with professional aspirations. Each year, 30 actors enter its two-year program. Most studio classes (acting, voice and speech, singing techniques, Shakespeare, movement, audition technique, etc.), are divided in half, so the average student-to-teacher ratio is 15-to-1. PCPA's theater and training program is housed and accredited through Allan Hancock College, a California Community College. Its faculty of resident artists, who serve as acting company and faculty, is made up of working professionals and dedicated educators. Students graduate with approximately 76 units of lower-division drama credit, useful for those students transferring on to B.A. or BFA programs. PCPA has existing and developing articulation agreements with public and private universities around the country.
Specialties: Conservatory/University
Promenade Playhouse and Conservatory
1404 3rd St. Promenade
Santa Monica, CA 90401
fax: 310-656-8069
10–15 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Four quarters per year with customized programs available monthly; Work-study program available.
The Promenade Conservatory, an accredited acting school, offers professional training within a two- or three-year degree program, an international program for foreign students with F-1 visa available, as well as a part-time program. Since 1995, Founder and Artistic Director Natalia Lazarus has been at the helm of the Conservatory, which includes an Equity-approved theater, renowned 3rd Street Comedy & The Promenade Players Theatre Company. Ms. Lazarus also extends her expertise as a celebrity and international coach privately and on sets. Advisory board members include premier actors and top industry professionals, including Alfred Molina; Ken Jeong; Mark Measures, head of the commercials, on-camera, and voice division at the Abrams Artists Agency; and Syd Field, known by CNN as "the guru of screenwriting." The PC is located in the Santa Monica business district, just minutes from the beach. The conservatory helps actors with customized programs through Meisner, Adler, Strasberg, On-Camera, Screenwriting, Creating the One-Person Show Techniques, and the Creative Keys To Success.
Specialties: Conservatory/University
The Ruskin School of Acting
3021 Airport Ave.
Santa Monica, CA 90405
fax: 310-397-4920
Class size varies; Private coaching available; Auditing is permitted (interview required); Classes by session and ongoing.
John Ruskin was Sanford Meisner's apprentice, first studying with him in New York, continuing in Bequia, then teaching for him at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York. Ruskin then founded the Ruskin School of Acting in Los Angeles in 1986 as the West Coast representative of the Neighborhood Playhouse. Acting teachers here were trained directly by Meisner and/or Ruskin. The school in Santa Monica offers a two-year course of study in the Meisner technique, as well as a master class for those who have completed the two-year program at either Ruskin or the Neighborhood Playhouse. Professional actors from outside the school are considered as well. Anthony Hopkins has taught the master class and worked with students on Chekhov, Shakespeare, and Pinter, as well as contemporary plays. Other guest teachers and lecturers include Anthony Franciosa, Dylan McDermott, Carol Burnett, and Eve Ensler. The school offers classes in Alexander Technique, commedia dell'arte, voice, and movement, as well as an introduction to the Meisner technique at various times throughout the year. Additionally the school offers classes for young adults and children. The Ruskin Group Theatre produces a season of plays with its company members and includes outreach programs in the community. Admission to the school is by interview with Ruskin.
Specialties: Conservatory/University
Stella Adler Academy of Acting – Los Angeles
Alex Aves, Director of Student Affairs
6773 Hollywood Blvd., Second Fl.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
fax: 323-469-6049
10–14 students per class; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions; Work-study available.
Founded by one of the world's most respected acting teachers, the Stella Adler Academy – Los Angeles offers a two-year conservatory program and individual classes. With six terms each year, classes include: Acting Technique, Scene Study, Script Analysis, Theater to Film Audition Technique, Styles of Acting, Voice, Movement, Improvisation, Shakespeare, Chekhov, and three full play productions. Visiting professional class instructors include Benicio Del Toro, Holland Taylor, and Mark Ruffalo. Not associated with the Stella Adler Studio in New York.
Specialties: Conservatory/University
Theatre of Arts – College for the Contemporary Actor
Hollywood Plaza
6755 Hollywood Blvd., #200
Los Angeles, CA 90028
fax: 323-463-2645
Six to 10 students per class; Application and audition required for entry into the program; 12-week trimesters, two-year associate degree program; Limited work-study and scholarships up to $5,000 available.
Theatre of Arts opened in 1927 and has evolved through the leadership of outstanding directors like Max Reinhardt and Michael Chekhov into today's accredited college for the contemporary actor. TOA President James Warwick oversees the film, television, and theater programs to ensure the highest quality of teaching, productions, and preparation for a successful acting career.
Specialties: Conservatory/University
UCLA Extension Department of Entertainment Studies and Performing Arts
This program offers a diverse and comprehensive acting curriculum taught by industry professionals. Courses cover all aspects of the business, from using props on set to managing a career. Topics include basic techniques, scene study, camera work, auditioning, standup, voiceover, career advancement, and insider insight into how the business works. Participants can enroll in individual courses or a comprehensive certificate program, and enrollment is open. Fees vary. Classes are held on the UCLA campus, at UCLA Extension facilities in Westwood, and at local theaters.
Specialties: Conservatory/University
Improv and Comedy
ACME Actors Studio at ACME Comedy Hollywood
Dan Kane
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Six to 12 students per class; All levels; Some classes require an audition; Auditing with permission; Ongoing sessions; Work-study/internship available.
ACME offers improv, sketch, and standup classes for all levels. The "Elements" and "Advanced Improv" course consist of a series of four-week blocks that can be taken at any time. Students are encouraged to take the full series, but transfer credit from training at other recognized improv schools is negotiable. The improv performance class teaches ACME's signature "soap opera" format, including character development and pitching, costume selection, and format structure. The sketch-performance course is ACME's most intensive class. Students write, pitch, and perform three sets of three-week shows in an 11-week period. Students can perform every week, but not all sketches are approved, so collaboration is encouraged. The sketch comedy writing course is a collaborative class series that includes a show on the ACME stage, using sketches written in the class. ACME also offers a sketch comedy writing course, a four-week standup comedy course, and a 12-week performance lab, which requires an audition.
Specialties: Improv and Comedy
Actors Improv Studio
Bill Applebaum
10707 Magnolia Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
16 students per class max; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Bill Applebaum, founder of Actors Improv Studio, is a Second City Chicago alumnus with more than 20 years of teaching, direction, acting, and writing experience in stage, film, and TV. Actors Improv Studio offers ongoing improv workshops helping actors and anyone who wants to become more creative, spontaneous, and relaxed. It also offers an ongoing cold reading class using Meisner-based techniques. All classes emphasize improvisation as a tool to strengthen actors' creative processes to go beyond the obvious choices. A free audit is permitted.
Specialties: Improv and Comedy
Bang Comedy Theatre and Conservatory
457 N. Fairfax Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
14 students max; Auditing is permitted; Classes by sessions.
L.A.'s oldest home of long-form improv, Bang's conservatory has been training Los Angeles actors (including some of the stars of "Desperate Housewives," "The Producers," "Quinceañera," and more), writers, and innocent bystanders for more than a decade. Bang is known for bringing truth to actors' comedy. Its continuing semester-based improv classes take students from basics through complex character work and long-form improvisation in a little over a year. The program culminates in the master class, which includes a weekly class workout on Tuesdays and performance every Friday evening for six months in Bang's theater space. Class prices decrease each term, starting at $275 for eight weeks. Class size limited to 14. No audition required. Audits available, or free admission to the Friday night student show.
Specialties: Improv and Comedy
Barb and Steve North's Comedy Workshops
Steve North
22647 Ventura Blvd., Ste. 422
Woodland Hills, CA 91364
www.funnycoach.com; www.comedynorth.com
12 students per class; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Steve North ("the Comedy Coach") and his wife Barb's comedy workshops offer a complete comedy development environment from beginner to professional, including private lessons and three levels of workshop/performing groups via the Standup Rep Company at the L.A. Connection Comedy Theatre in Sherman Oaks and at a Woodland Hills location. Comedians studying with the Norths perform regularly in their "Beyond Standup" show. The show and workshops are now in their 21st year and have been an ongoing home base for standup comedians since 1992. Several industry nights are offered each year. The workshops and private lessons (available in person, online, Skype, or phone) focus on the Norths' "comedic character" method of training performers to be comedians rather than just comics: "a comic says funny things, a comedian is a funny person." Members and alumni of the group have appeared on "The Tonight Show," "Seinfeld," "Last Comic," "The View," "Conan," "Comics Unleashed," and in clubs, colleges, and festivals all over the world. Formerly a well-known comedy team, the Norths have performed on more than 30 network, syndicated, and cable TV shows.
Specialties: Improv and Comedy
Bobbie Oliver – Standup Academy
Tao Comedy Studio
7466 Beverly Blvd., Ste. 201
Los Angeles, CA 90036
12 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Four sessions per year; Payment plans available.
StandUp Academy graduates have gone on to appear on "The Tonight Show," Bravo, E!, the Aspen Comedy Festival stage, and more. Veteran comedian Bobbie Oliver teaches ongoing standup comedy classes in eight-week sessions. More than 800 L.A. comics have studied with Oliver. Private lessons are also available. Classes end with a graduation show at the Flapper Comedy Club Main Room.
Specialties: Improv and Comedy
The Comedy Academy
Craig Anton
Limited class size; Private coaching available; All levels
Founder Craig Anton has made a living being funny for more than 20 years. Comedy Academy emphasis is on comedy scene study. Classes show actors how to bring more of themselves to each role and how to dig out and discover the funny. Actors learn vernacular and skills to create characters with depth and honest humor. Classes also include deep-tissue script analysis and how that translates into a winning audition. Class sessions feature comic actors, casting directors, legit agents, commercial agents, directors, and development executives working today in film and television, who share their wit, wisdom, and keys to success.
Specialties: Improv and Comedy, Acting Technique/Scene Study
ComedySportz Los Angeles
James Thomas Bailey, Artistic Director
733 N. Seward St.
Hollywood, CA 90038
fax: 323-871-1192
10–20 students per class; All levels; Auditing permitted in the beginner class; four- to eight-week workshops throughout the year; Internships available.
Teaches the building blocks of improv to entry-level students; then, at higher levels, organizes teams of performers in athletic-style competition. Since 1988, L.A.'s own professional team has offered improv workshops to students of all ages. Workshops run in four- to eight-week cycles ranging in price from $185 to $275; discounts are available. We also teach one-shot improv "Cram Sessions" for $50. Limit on class sizes. Mailing address: 8033 Sunset Blvd., #506, Los Angeles, CA 90046.
Specialties: Improv and Comedy
Cynthia Szigeti
16 students per class max; Private coaching available; All levels; Beginners especially welcome; Auditing not permitted; Sessions at certain times of the year.
Legendary improv teacher (formerly ran the schools at the Groundlings and the ACME Comedy Theatre) whose former students include Conan O'Brien, Lisa Kudrow, Joel McHale, Adam Carolla, Michael Hitchcock, Will Forte, Julia Sweeney, and Alex Borstein. Teaches not only the fundamentals of improv but how to apply it to auditions, scene work, writing, and the creation of content in the digital media age.
Specialties: Improv and Comedy
Flappers University
Shannon Gettins, Dean/Standup Teacher and Coach
102 E. Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91502
Six to 12 students per class; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Classes by sessions and ongoing.
At Flappers University we believe that comedy is truly an art form, a combination of raw talent and technique. Talent can be lost without technique, so we first teach joke structure and the basic language of comedy. We also believe that what makes a great comedian is being personal and authentic and, perhaps, a rule-breaker, so we provide a safe and fun environment where you can be just that: authentic, inspired, and successful. Whether you are already a working comedian, looking to make it your profession, simply need help with that next presentation, or just want to come and have fun, we can help you find the path to funny.
Specialties: Improv and Comedy
The Gay Mafia Improv Comedy Workshop
www.thegaymafia.net, www.mikeplayer.net
10–12 students per class; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Work-study is available.
This workshop is led by Mike Player, director and head writer for the improv/sketch comedy troupe the Gay Mafia and a graduate of the Warner Bros. Comedy Writers' Workshop. All levels are welcome. There are performance opportunities. Sketch writing and standup instruction are also available.
Specialties: Improv and Comedy
Gerry Katzman's StandupComedyClass.com
Venice, CA 90291
10 students per class max; Beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels; Auditing permitted in some cases; Classes by sessions; Work-study/internship program available in some cases.
Voted favorite comedy class in L.A. by Backstage magazine's Readers' Choice Awards, Gerry Katzman has a magical and kind way of coaching people into being themselves onstage with unique, fresh, innovative, personal, and laugh-out-loud standup routines. Alumni include writers for "Ellen," "Kath & Kim," stars of network TV shows ("The Ex-list," "Spartacus"), comedy contest winners, and people who have gotten managers and agents directly based on the strength of their standup performances.
Specialties: Improv and Comedy
The Groundlings School
7307 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
323-934-4747, ext. 21
16 students per class; All levels; Auditing is not permitted; Ongoing sessions; Email résumé and cover letter for internship opportunities available for college credit.
This 30-year-old sketch comedy institution, home of the famous Groundlings performance troupe, offers improvisation classes taught by Groundlings and alumni in a safe, structured, and supportive atmosphere. Students with previous acting or improv experience are recommended to audition for Basic, the first level of the core program which teaches the fundamentals of the Groundlings' world-renowned form of improv. Extension workshops for beginners that do not require an audition are also offered. Visit school.groundlings.com for a current schedule of available classes and auditions.
Specialties: Improv and Comedy
Harvey Lembeck Comedy Workshop
Helaine Lembeck, Artistic Director
20–22 students per class; Private coaching also available; Beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels; Audits by arrangement only; Ongoing sessions.
Emmy-winning director Michael Lembeck and his sister Helaine Lembeck took over these comedy classes 30 years ago, 19 years after the late Harvey Lembeck began the workshop. The Harvey Lembeck Comedy Workshop is the longest-running comedy workshop in Los Angeles. The workshop offers classes aimed at the trained working actor wanting to specialize in comedy. Workshops are designed to teach the actor how to play comedy legitimately in a scene, using improv as a tool to enhance comedic skills for sitcoms, TV, and film. Students participate onstage three or four times each night. Critiques are by instructors only. Former students include Robin Williams, Bryan Cranston, Penny Marshall, John Ritter, Kim Cattrall, John Larroquette, Jenna Elfman, Ted McGinley, Marilu Henner, Mary Kay Place, Lenny Clark, Alan Rachins, Scott Baio, David Leisure, Sally Kirkland, and Sharon Stone.
Specialties: Improv and Comedy, Acting Technique and Scene Study
Impro Theatre
1727 N. Vermont Ave., Ste. 211
Los Feliz, CA 90027
15 students per class; Nonactors to professional level; Auditing is not permitted; Ongoing sessions and workshops; Internship programs available.
The focus of this nonprofit improv company, home of L.A. Theatresports, is telling stories. The group is well-known for shows in which it improvises full-length plays (such as Shakespeare Unscripted, Carnal Peaks, and Triple-Play). The company teaches all levels of improv classes, including an Improvising Plays and Films class in which students study film genres, playwright styles, and time periods, and then improvise from there. Ensemble is encouraged, with the actors being the writers-directors collaborating in the moment to tell a story. Master classes are also offered on a variety of subjects such as character, using improv in commercial auditions, improvising with your emotions, improvising musicals, and physical improv. An eight-week session is $299.
Specialties: Improv and Comedy
Improv Comedy Workshops With Andy Goldberg
Andy Goldberg, Teacher
Avery Schreiber Playhouse
4934 Lankershim Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
www.offthewallcomedy.net / andygoldbergswebsite.com
Approximately 16 students per class; Private coaching available; Various levels; Ongoing sessions; Work-study/internships available.
Andy Goldberg, author of "Improv Comedy" from Samuel French Press, has been teaching for more than 25 years. His ongoing classes emphasize character development through exercises, games, and scene work in a fun, supportive atmosphere. Andy Goldberg is the director and a founder of the legendary comedy troupe Off The Wall and has performed with Robin Williams, Larry David, Tom Hanks, John Ritter, Fred Willard, Garry Shandling, George Wendt, Betty Thomas, and Chevy Chase. He also offers private coaching.
Specialties: Improv and Comedy
IO West
James Grace, Artistic Director
6336 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Number of students per class varies; Beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels; Auditing for improv teams permitted with special permission; New sessions every seven weeks; Internship program available.
Born in Chicago more than 30 years ago, IO is best known for its long-form improvisation, including the signature form "the Harold" (and for its alumni: Mike Myers, Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Chris Farley, and Andy Richter, to name a few). IO West offers seven levels of improvisation classes as well as writing and acting classes. Stage time is guaranteed with showcase and performance opportunities in the improv and writing classes. New classes begin every seven weeks.
Specialties: Improv and Comedy
Jacquie Lowell's Improvisational Comedy Classes
San Diego, CA
Eight to 16 students per class; All levels; Sample class available for $20; Ongoing sessions.
Lowell has taught improv in San Diego for more than 35 years and has performed with and directed multiple improvisational comedy performing troupes. She leads creativity communication, and team-building workshops for schools, organizations, conferences, and events.
Specialties: Improv and Comedy
Jodi Miller
Miller is a veteran of standup at venues such as the Improv, the Comedy Store, and the Ice House, for more than a decade. She offers a standup course separate from the curriculum at the ACME Comedy Theatre, 135 N. La Brea, Hollywood. The course consists of four group classes, three private lessons, and a final performance, after which the student receives a DVD of his or her five-minute routine. Tuition for the course is $350.
Specialties: Improv and Comedy
Judy Brown's Standup Comedy Workshop
Santa Monica, CA
Private, intensive coaching; All levels; Ongoing sessions.
Brown's workshop is designed to help students learn how to turn their natural sense of humor into a professional comedy act, as well as to showcase their performance skills. Along the way, she says, they'll learn comedic timing, delivery, and joke-writing, and graduate with a comedy monologue (also suitable for auditions). Advanced coaching for comedians is also available. Private coaching is $75 per hour or five hours for $250.
Specialties: Improv and Comedy
L.A. Connection Comedy Productions
Kent Skov, Artistic Director
13442 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
All levels; Auditing permitted in some cases; Ongoing sessions; Work-study opportunities in office and theater.
Artistic Director Kent Skov, a member of the DGA and WGA, trained with the Committee and with Second City Founder Paul Sills. His 35-year-old comedy institution, L.A.'s longest-running improv company, voted "Best Place to Laugh Until You Cry" 2011 by Cityvoter, offers performance and training for all ages, including an adult improv repertory company that provides four levels of training and allows members to perform (with pay) before a live audience on a weekly basis. The group also offers levels of sketch-comedy performance groups, with weekly shows on Friday and Sunday. Dramatic improv, standup comedy, and comedy improv for kids by kids meets and performs Friday–Sunday. L.A. Connection now offers teens a comedy improv class. The company also performs long-form improv and "Improvision" (dubbing live-comedy soundtracks at movie theaters, including Cinespace). LAC performs and has training camps all over Southern California and has appeared at trade shows, corporate/private events, and in industrials, and has produced two feature films, a Cable Ace–nominated TV special, numerous commercials, and the TV series "Mad Movies." Alumni include Matthew Perry, Hank Azaria, Jon Lovitz, Will Ferrell, Sharon Lawrence, Victoria Jackson, Chris Kattan, Mindy Sterling, and Emmy Award–winning producers, directors, and writers. Skov also teaches a class in scene-based dramatic and comedic improvisation. Auditions are required.
Specialties: Improv and Comedy
Lesley Wolff's Standup Comedy Workshop
Actors Comedy Studio
7461 Beverly Blvd., Ste. 202
Los Angeles, CA 90036
email@example.com, email@example.com
323-302-9152, 310-927-4125
16 students per class; All levels; Auditing is not permitted; Classes by session.
Lesley's hands-on standup class consists of four group meetings, a private consultation, and a class showcase. In five weeks, you'll be taken through the paces of joke-writing, storytelling, honing material, developing an act, performing onstage, and having fun. The class culminates in a showcase at Actors Comedy Studio, where you'll most likely become hopelessly addicted to applause and/or standing ovations.
Specialties: Improv and Comedy
M.I.'s Westside Comedy Theater
1323-A Third Street Promenade
Santa Monica, CA 90401
14 students per class max; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing sessions; Work-study/internship program available.
Offers a full calendar of shows and classes every night. Recently named one of the best places to scout talent in L.A. by Variety, and as LA's favorite comedy club by About.com. Committed to fostering a down-to-earth, supportive, professional environment to create opportunities for talent to gain exposure and further their careers.
Specialties: Improv and Comedy
Merilyn Carney: "Don't Lose Yourself in Auditions"
Eight to 12 students per class; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions every Wednesday afternoon; Scholarship program available.
Improvisation, cold reading, scene work, monologues, audition practice, and career guidance. Carney specializes in guiding actors to trust their instincts, overcoming nerves and anxiety. Actors learn to give a full performance in a cold reading, to create truthful characters on the spot, to not judge themselves, to follow their impulses. This kind of work gives actors tremendous freedom. Classes are $40 per class or $140 for four classes. Call for an interview.
Specialties: Improv and Comedy
One-Person Show Start-to-Finish Master Class
Terrie Silverman, Founder, Creative Rites Workshops/Coaching for Writing and Performance
Classes in Venice, L.A., and Pasadena
Address given upon registration
www.creativerites.com; www.facebook.com/creativerites
Limited class size; Coaching, script critiques also offered; All levels; Auditing is not permitted, but potential students can sign up for one pro-rated class; six-month Intensive and 10-week sessions.
Terrie Silveman, writer/performer and Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center's artist-in-residence, offers a six-month intensive leading you through the entire process of creating the one-person show, from the first draft to a workshop production. In a supportive environment, you'll learn the nuts and bolts of storytelling, dramatic structure, and character development. Release the inner critic and access your authentic voice while writing, improvising, and performing weekly. The intensive culminates in a full-length solo show for an invited audience. Shows developed with Terrie have toured internationally and Off-Broadway. Alumni include Laraine Newman, Mimi Kennedy, Ann Randolph, Olivia d'Abo, Roma Maffia, John Fugelsang, Melanie Chartoff, Heather Woodbury, Lucia Ryker, and Melora Hardin. Terrie has also been a director and dramaturge for a number of acclaimed one-person shows.
Specialties: Improv and Comedy, Acting Technique and Scene Study
Paul Ryan's TV Hosting & Comedy Acting Studio
Paul Ryan, President, Paul Ryan Productions
15240 1/2 Dickens St.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
818-783 7940
fax: 818-788-0706
Six students per hosting intensive; Eight students per comedy class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Sessions are scheduled; Possible work-study available.
TV hosting intensives and comedy workshops are scheduled by Mr. Ryan, who is author of "The Art of Comedy: Getting Serious About Being Funny," published by Random House. He recently costarred as Bruce on "Desperate Housewives." Host/producer of more than 700 in-depth celebrity TV shows.
Specialties: Improv and Comedy
Sandi C. Shore's Standup Comedy Workshop
The Comedy Store
8433 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90069
Auditing is permitted; Classes by sessions.
Shore offers eight-week sessions. A textbook is required: "Sandi Shore's Secrets to Standup Success," available at online bookstores or wherever books are sold.
Specialties: Improv and Comedy
The Second City Hollywood Training Center
Carrie-Ann Pishnak, Communications Manager
6560 Hollywood Blvd., Second Fl.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
fax: 323-464-1861
16 students per class max; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions; Work-study/internships available.
The Los Angeles Training Center offers classes in improvisation and sketch comedy year-round for actors of all ages. Called the "Ivy League of Comedy," the Second City has trained many of the country's leading comedy actors, writers, and directors. Its alumni includes John Belushi, Bill Murray, Alan Arkin, Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Sean Hayes, Steve Carell, Harold Ramis, and more. Youth program available for ages 8-18, along with summer boot camp and intensives.
Specialties: Improv and Comedy
Steve Kaplan's Comedy Intensive
10–16 students per class; Advanced to professional levels; Auditing not permitted; Fall and spring sessions; Work-study available.
The Actors Comedy Intensive is a two-day comedy workshop designed specifically for actors and solo performers. With a limited enrollment (so everyone has a chance to get up and work), the workshop is designed as a hands-on performance workout where the tools and techniques of the course are explored through exercises, improv, and theater games. On the second day, those techniques are applied to scripts, scenes, and solo shows, with an emphasis on sitcom script analysis, performance, and sitcom audition tricks and techniques. Kaplan has taught at UCLA, NYU, and Yale, and is a consultant for DreamWorks Animation. He created the HBO Workspace and the HBO New Writers Program and helped develop writers such as Steve Skrovan ("Everybody Loves Raymond") and David Fury ("Lost," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") and taught performers such as Oliver Platt and John Leguizamo.
Specialties: Improv and Comedy
Steve North The Comedy Coach
22647 Ventura Blvd., Ste. 422
Woodland Hills, CA 91364
fax: 818-347-5099
Private coaching in person, online, Skype, or by phone; Classes also available; All levels; Ongoing sessions.
Steve North ("the Comedy Coach") offers a complete comedy development environment from beginner to professional. Steve focuses on his "comedic character" method of training performers to be comedians rather than just comics or joke tellers. He coaches his clients for stand-up comedy, sketch, and comedic acting. His services include private lessons in person, on Skype, or by phone, and he also offers three levels of workshop/performing groups via the Standup Rep Company at the L.A. Connection Comedy Theatre in Sherman Oaks. Comedians studying with the Norths perform regularly in their "Beyond Standup" show. The show and workshops are now in their 21st year and have been an ongoing home base for standup comedians since 1992. Several Industry nights are offered each year. The workshops and private lessons focus on the North's' "comedic character" method of training performers to be comedians rather than just comics: "a comic says funny things, a comedian is a funny person." Members and alumni of the group have appeared on "The Tonight Show," "Seinfeld," "Last Comic," "The View," "Conan," "Comics Unleashed" and in clubs, colleges, and festivals all over the world. Formerly a well-known comedy team, the Norths have performed on more than 30 network, syndicated, and cable TV shows.
Specialties: Improv and Comedy
Tim Simek
10–12 students per class max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions; Occasionally will have interns help at improv shows.
A working actor, improv comic, director, producer, and instructor, Simek has more than 20-plus years' experience in film and television, along with an extensive improvisational background. He is founder and director of the L.A.-based comedy improv group Slow...Children at Play, as well as a regular performer. The group has been performing comedy shows in North Hollywood since 1998 and has been voted one of the Top 5 Comedy Improv groups in L.A. Simek offers ongoing improv and scene study classes, as well as private coaching for dramatic and comedic roles, including character development and audition techniques.
Specialties: Improv and Comedy, Acting Technique/Scene Study
On-Camera Technique
Brad's Class! Film Acting Workshop
Brad Greenquist
1646 20th St.
Santa Monica, CA 90404
12 students per class max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Work regularly with the camera in various set-ups: close-up, two-shot, long shot, walk and talk, etc. Voice modulation for the mic, hitting marks, finding your light, blocking for the camera, continuity. Cold reading, auditioning, general entertainment skills, business and marketing concerns. Taught by actor Brad Greenquist.
Specialties: On-Camera Technique, Acting Technique/Scene Study
Chad McCord Actors Studio
Chad McCord, Director
Highland and Melrose
Hollywood Media District
Los Angeles, CA 90038
Three to five students per group class; Private class is one-on-one; Audition coaching available upon request; Auditing not permitted; Must do consultation before enrolling; Beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels; Ongoing sessions.
Chad McCord offers audition coaching and private classes specializing in script analysis, organic preparation, audition technique, and the business of acting. All classes are on-camera, using current pilot, film, and TV material only.
Specialties: On-Camera Technique, Acting Technique/Scene Study, Audition Technique/Cold Reading, Business of Acting
Creative Combustion Acting Studio
Studio City, CA
fax: 315-222-1727
12 students per class max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing permitted if contacted in advance; Classes run Sept.–May; Summer sessions run June–July; Private coaching/master classes are ongoing.
Director and acting coach Joshua Finkel offers classes for actors and public speakers of all ages and levels. Classes include: Acting for Film/Television, Cold Reading Technique,Theater, Musical Theater, Classical Theater, College Audition Preparation, Role Preparation, and Cabaret Act or Solo Show Construction. All private work is on-camera and taped.
Specialties: On-Camera Technique, Audition Technique/Cold Reading, Acting Technique/Scene Study
On-Camera Classes with Christinna Chauncey
3575 Cahuenga Blvd. W., Ste. 125
Los Angeles, CA 90068
10 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Interview required; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing classes as well as seasonal; Work-study program available.
Chauncey's eight-week Intensive On-Camera Audition Workshop focuses on developing strong cold read, audition, and on-camera skills specific to television. She teaches "from an insider perspective on what to do and what not to do to achieve success in the audition." She has more than 20 years' professional experience in front of and behind the camera as an associate to a major casting office for pilots and series. Class sizes are limited to maintain a high quality of study. Private coaching is also available.
Specialties: On-Camera Technique, Audition Technique/Cold Reading, Acting Technique/Scene Study
Puppet School
Roberto Ferreira, CEO/GM
13440 Ventura Blvd., Ste. 108
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
fax: 818-322-3889
12 students per class max; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Puppet School is comprised of a group of creative artists with a passion for puppetry. Teachers are primarily who we are, but we also love to share our gifts and talents through puppet making and performance. Puppetry is a thriving art form, both in the U.S. and abroad, that we at Puppet School are privileged to perpetuate and preserve. We invite you to join us on our wondrous journey.
Specialties: On-Camera Technique
The Science of On-Camera Acting
Andrea Morris
Los Angeles, CA
To send Andrea an email, visit http://www.andreamorris.com/contact#!contact/c2q4
Ongoing classes; Private and on-set coaching available; All levels.
Coaching focused on detailed on-camera work, developing original characters before an audition, and 'acquired photogenia' by unlearning certain neuromuscular habits and conditioning new ones, according to the camera's perspective.
Specialties: On-Camera Technique
Screen Actors Studio
Sonia Lopes, JD Ferrantino
Los Angeles, CA 90048
12 students max; Private coaching for auditions available; All levels; Free class audit and audition; Ongoing sessions; Work-study/internship program available.
Lopes has taught for more than 15 years and has worked in casting with agents and managers, which gives her a unique insight into the business. She has worked as a professional actor in television, film, and theater, and has coached hundreds of kids, many of whom have gone on to work professionally. Classes include commercial and theatrical, and are geared toward "turning the creative potential of the individual student into a successful audition." All classes include camera work, and Lopes teaches all ages and levels.
Specialties: On-Camera Technique
Sena-Series Hosting Classes
Suzanne Sena, Shannon O'Dowd
Exclusive Casting Studios
7700 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
www.carolynebarry.com; www.suzannesena.com
17 students per class max; All levels; Auditing is permitted in level-one course; Eight Class Sessions; Work-study available.
On-camera industry classes focusing on becoming a working host. Level one is an eight-week course focusing on entertainment reporting, talk shows, infomercials, industrials, reality, game shows, and teleprompter. Level two is a four-day weekend intensive featuring individualized curriculums, that also explores news and sports broadcasting. Suzanne Sena and Shannon O'Dowd are professional teachers and successful working hosts on TV, trade shows, internet programs, industrials, and commercials who can teach you how to have a career in hosting.
Specialties: On-Camera Technique
Steve Eastin Studio
10107 Camarillo St.
Toluca Lake, CA 91602
Private coaching available; Free audit provided.
Eastin offers one of L.A.'s most respected ongoing acting workshops at his studio in Toluca Lake, Calif. Steve is a veteran working actor himself. His scene with George Clooney and Anna Kendrick from Jason Reitman's "Up in the Air" appeared on the 2010 Academy Awards broadcast twice. He has also had lead roles in such noteworthy films as "Field of Dreams," "Con Air," "Catch Me If You Can," "The Black Dahlia," "Up in the Air," and "Matchstick Men," to name just a few. His recent guest-star TV appearances include "Cold Case," "NCIS, " and a recurring role on "Dexter." Eastin teaches all classes. They are on camera with playback offered every fourth class. DVDs are available for student use. Each student works every class and all scene material is provided by the studio. Casting director workshops are offered in association with producer Elise Hodge. A free audit is offered. A unique approach to acting is taught that eschews all "methods." Tuition is $195 per month.
Specialties: On-Camera Technique, Audition Technique/Cold Reading
Take After Take
Veteran actor-producer-director Dennis Sakamoto offers two one-day professional workshops to prepare actors for the reality of acting on a film set. The first workshop, "Take After Take," teaches actors to prepare their emotion and deliver their performance under a variety of pressures, including rapid and repeat takes, acting with nonactors, and the like. "Marks and Matching" focuses on teaching actors to hit marks and match action for continuity. Workshops are held in Los Angeles and New York City.
Specialties: On-Camera Technique
Tim Phillips Studio – L.A./N.Y.
2124 S. Redondo Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90016
10 students per class; Private coaching available; Advanced and professional levels; Interview and audit required for all classes; Ongoing sessions.
Phillips worked as an actor with Meryl Streep, Robert Duvall, and Klaus Maria Brandauer, and he ignited the careers of Wendie Malick, Nancy Travis, and Richard Schiff, to name a few. He was one of the acting teachers of famed five-time Oscar-winning coach Larry Moss, who said, "Tim taught me to be more specific than I ever knew I could be," in his book "The Intent to Live." Phillips says his "Sherlock Holmesing of the text" is the foundation of his audition technique. It was developed through his 24 years of coaching actors and "grew out of Meisner technique but goes much further." He currently has three ongoing audition classes, monthly lectures, and a quarterly scene study class with an invited presentation at the end. More than 92 percent of his students have booked the auditions they brought into class in the last eight months. Interview or referral required for all classes. Private coaching sessions available. www.timphillipsstudio.com.
Specialties: On-Camera Technique
Weist-Barron-Hill Acting for Television and Film
4300 W. Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91505
10 students per class; All levels: children, teens, adults, and seniors; Auditing is permitted; Classes by sessions and ongoing.
WBH was the first on-camera workshop in the country with the New York branch opening in 1956. Lyle B. Hill opened the Southern California branch, located in Burbank, in 1977. Veteran, award-winning soap opera producer, Lyle Hill, teaches commercial and acting workshops. Gwyn Foxx, owner of Gwyn Foxx Talent, and Mike O'Dell, talent agent at Bobby Ball Agency, teach advanced commercial workshops. Meisner-trained Ranjiv Perera teaches children and teen classes.
Specialties: On-Camera Technique, Audition Technique/Cold Reading, Acting Technique/Scene Study
Physical Theater/Movement
Mime Theatre Studio
Private coaching also available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Two-day intensive workshops, ongoing weekly classes.
In the only year-round mime classes in Los Angeles, MTS teaches actors, dancers, comedians, singers, and storytellers how to "make the invisible visible," using the body to express thought and emotion, and how to physicalize the actor's interaction with his environment. MTS Director Lorin Eric Salm is a three-year graduate of the Marcel Marceau Paris International School of Mimodrama and has been teaching for more than 20 years, including work for Cirque du Soleil, Disney, DreamWorks, and Sony Animation Studios, and feature films and television.
Specialties: Physical Theater/Movement
Private Coaching
Jack Heller
Private coaching only; All levels.
Jack Heller is an award-winning director and a working actor, now artistic director of Laurelgrove Theatre, which has won four Ovation nominations in its first three years of operation. He studied with Harold Clurman, Robert Lewis, and Uta Hagen. He has performed on television, on Broadway, in Los Angeles theater, and is a lifetime member the Actors Studio.
Specialties: Private Coaching, Acting Technique/Scene Study
James Harper
Private coaching only; All levels.
Harper, an award-winning actor, producer, and casting associate, has performed leading roles on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and with leading regional theaters. He has more than 300 appearances on TV and 25 feature films to his credit. A Juilliard graduate, an award-winning actor/producer, and casting associate/consultant, he has taught master classes at numerous universities and colleges throughout the United States. Mr. Harper specializes in audition coaching and ongoing once the job is secured. Rates vary depending upon project length and/or number of sessions.
Specialties: Private Coaching, Audition Technique/Cold Reading, Acting Technique/Scene Study, On-Camera Technique
Singing/Musical Theater
Bill Haller – Voice Teacher
San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, CA
email@example.com / twitter: @uptempo_ballad
Private coaching only; Mostly professional and those with serious aspirations; Teen through Adult.
Bill Haller trains singers for careers in pop, Broadway, and animation. Named a "Top Private Coach" in a Backstage readers' poll, his studio also offers production and recording services. Bill studied voice with Lee Sweetland and vocal performance with David Craig. As a composer, his songs have appeared in film, television, industrials, and live on stage.
Specialties: Singing/Musical Theater
Bob Garrett
Master class available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Classes by sessions, six times per year.
Bob Garrett offers private voice classes and musical theater workshops. Techniques focus on breath control and support, expanding range, voice placement, calming nerves, and preparation of audition—technically, emotionally, and presentationally. He offers a nine-week master class with an industry showcase. His clients include Katy Perry, Drew Barrymore, Big Time Rush, Channing Tatum, Gerald Butler, Jessica Lange, Rebel Wilson, Vanessa Hudgens, Judy Davis, et al.
Specialties: Singing/Musical Theater
Carol Weiss Musical Theater Workshop
1249 N. Lodi Place
Los Angeles, CA 90038
Class size varies; All levels; Fall, winter, and spring sessions.
Carol Weiss is an accomplished musical director,who has worked at the Sacramento Music Circus, the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera, and the South Bay CLO. She was the Los Angeles casting director for the national tours of: "Fame," "Miss Saigon," "The Music Man," and "1776." Weiss is a Drama-Logue and ASCAP Award recipient, and was submitted for a Grammy Award. Her classes prepare students for musical theater the way singers train for opera. Weiss helps students identify their strengths and develop how best to use them in the audition process. Students work every week with all work recorded digitally for review at home. Weiss' extensive music library is made available to all students.
Specialties: Singing/Musical Theater
Carole D'Andrea
www.caroledandrea.com / can also be found on Facebook
15-20 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
D'Andrea's 50-year career includes the original Broadway "West Side Story" (also the film) and "Gypsy." She has directed productions of "Company," "Guys and Dolls," and "Damn Yankees," and taught musical theater/acting classes at New York's Carnegie Hall for 15 years. She currently teaches acting and musical theater performance in L.A. She offers a course on singing performance, as well as an acting class on scene study, cold reading, monologues, and exercises. The book "30 Best Acting Coaches in Los Angeles" chose her as one of the 30 top acting coaches. D'Andrea continues to work with many well-known names in TV and film. Audits allowed.
Specialties: Singing/Musical Theater
Actors Vocal @ ACS with Corinne Dekker
Actors Comedy Studio
7461 Beverly Blvd., Ste. 202
Los Angeles, CA 90036
www.actorscomedystudio.com; www.cdekker.com
All levels.
Private, one-on-one singing lessons that are geared toward preparing the actor to audition for and book singing roles on TV/film. Lessons include warm-up exercises and technical instruction. Corinne then assigns you a song(s) that best fits your "brand" (niche roles), with an eye on what is currently airing, filming, and casting. Perfect for beginning singers, working actors and artists, kids and teens!
Specialties: Singing/Musical Theater, Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Dan Callaway Studio
Dan Callaway, Owner
4922 Vineland Ave.
N. Hollywood, CA 91601
Eight students per class max for musical theater workshop; Professional and aspiring professional levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Dan Callaway Studio offers private vocal training and ongoing musical theater workshops to build your skills as a performer and include you in a community of creative people who are passionate about doing their best work.
Specialties: Singing/Musical Theater, Acting Technique/Scene Study, Audition Technique/Cold Reading
David Coury's Singing for Actors
The Howard Fine Acting Studio
1445 N. Las Palmas Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Private coaching available; Ongoing sessions.
David Coury is an international voice expert and teacher who works with leading professionals across industries, from consumer products executives, Top 40 recording artists and management consultants, to actors and broadcasters. His proprietary voice and presentation method has transformed everyone, from his corporate to celebrity clients, into powerful and engaging professionals with potent vocal capabilities in their fields. The voices of Deloitte, Avery Dennison, Billy Bush, Ashley Tisdale, Leona Lewis, Billy Ray Cyrus, Emily Hahn ("Toy Story 3" Bonnie), Carla Gugino, and Mariette Hartley are as distinct as their teacher David Coury – the man and the method. "Someday is no day on my calendar...let's get to it NOW." An industry thought leader, David has served as a voice analyst on Fox News Channel, Access Hollywood, Court TV, and K-Earth 101. He is an advisor to major corporations and professional services firms, and is the voice director of the Howard Fine Acting Studio where he teaches his acclaimed empowerment program, Singing For Actors. Recently named a "Mover and Shaker" by leading self-help and transformational publisher Hay House, David's unique combining and application of the physical voice with the metaphysical voice is helping so many make a greater impact in the world. Of his many television appearances, David still cites the episode on ABC's original "Extreme Makeover" that featured his staggering transformation of a young rapper with a severe cleft palate. "Everyone – no matter what their field or background – everyone wants to make a difference, everyone wants to feel confident," says David. "The voice, ultimately, can and will reflect who you really are."
Specialties: Singing/Musical Theater, Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Howard Austin's Vocal Power School
North Hills, CA
email@example.com; email@example.com
800-929-7464 or 818-895-7464
Private or shared coaching; All levels; Introductory half-price session; Ongoing sessions; Work-study and internships available.
Howard Austin, creator of the Vocal Power Method, says his training will develop your voice control (breath control, support, focusing tone, vibrato pulse, resonance control, eliminating register breaks); personal style (phrasing and creative improvisation in any style); and performance power (mic techniques, lyric interpretation, and dynamic staging). Songwriting instruction is also offered. Vocal Power Method, also available in the Born to Sing home-study course, has brought singers to "American Idol," MTV, Broadway, Capitol Records, Sony, and more. Students have included Brandon Adams, Jason Keating, Stephen Dorff, Melora Hardin, Nancy McKeon, Demi Moore, Priscilla Presley, and Tanya Roberts.
Specialties: Singing/Musical Theater, Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Mary McGregor
Private coaching only; All levels.
McGregor works to combine the necessary techniques to help you "free your sound." Says McGregor, "In acting and in singing it is necessary to understand what your instrument can do for you. I help guide you through that realization."
Specialties: Singing/Musical Theater, Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Candace Ford, Assistant
www.music1on1.com, www.lasightsinger.com
20 students per class; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Sessions every quarter at SAG-AFTRA.
Vocal coaching, sight-singing, and group classes. Six-week sight-singing class starts every quarter, open to union and nonunion singers.
Specialties: Singing/Musical Theater, Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Richard Fredricks: I Teach Anyone How to Sing!
3520 Hughes Ave.
Culver City, CA 90034-7558
fax: 310-838-0505
Private coaching only; Master classes upon request; All levels; All styles; Auditing of a friend's lesson is permitted.
Fredricks' career started in a Santa Monica nightclub, moving to musical comedy, the New York City Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera as a leading baritone; he's sung in several media, including on TV and live with the Boston Pops; he's appeared in musical theater such as "The Music Man," "Man of La Mancha," "Carousel," and "Carnival." Fredricks says he has brought back the voices of Andy Williams, Howard Keel, Pat Boone, and Renata Scotto, among others. He teaches the breath support/breathing technique he has used for more than 40 years, noting, "It's the engine that drives the voice, the voice being a wind instrument. I routinely double the size of your voice and add about a third to your top-in the first lesson." He says he coaches everything, from pop to musical comedy to opera.
Specialties: Singing/Musical Theater, Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Singing With Cherie Valaray
4872 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Ste. 342
Woodland Hills, CA 91364
Private coaching only; All levels; Auditing permitted with special permission; Work-study available.
Valaray specializes in advanced vocal technique, operatic training, performance skills, stage presence, and many other professional skills for all singers. Lessons focus on vocal technique, including breath support, breathing, posture, register blending, vibrato control, resonance, vocal beauty, and reaching high notes with ease.
Specialties: Singing/Musical Theater, Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
The Steven Memel Studio
Private coaching only; All levels.
Memel has had a multifaceted career as a singer, actor, and director, as well as an internationally acclaimed teacher. He is the creator and energy behind "The Science of Switching On," the first comprehensive voice technique and performance system. His students attain rock-solid technique, as well as an ability to use it in performance in ways that make them unforgettable. The results of working with his system are absolute confidence and a sense of freedom and joy. He has helped everyone from beginning singers to Grammy Award–winning recording artists such as Adam Levine and members of Maroon 5, Sara Bareilles, actors Justin Long and Drew Barrymore, and Tony Award–winning Broadway performers.
Specialties: Singing/Musical Theater, Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Valerie Fahren
Glendale, CA
Private coaching only; All levels.
Taking an actor/singer to the next level of his/her career, tailor-made programs for each person, voice coaching, cold reading prep, audition prep, scene study, studio coaching, recording studio coaching, how to do a meeting, industry showcasing.
Specialties: Singing/Musical Theater, Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Solo Shows
Mark W. Travis
10322 Mary Bell Ave.
Shadow Hills, CA 91040
firstname.lastname@example.com; firstname.lastname@example.com
10 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions; Work-study is available.
For the past 22 years, Mark W. Travis has been involved in the development of solo shows for hundreds of actors and performers.
Specialties: Solo Shows
Stage Combat/Stunts
Academy of Theatrical Combat
Dan Speaker/Jan Bryant/Kim Turney, Swordmasters
c/o Swords Fencing Studio
2115 N. Glenoaks Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91504
Number of students per class varies; All levels; Auditing permitted on a limited basis; Ongoing sessions.
Dan Speaker and Jan Bryant ("Master and Commander," "Hook," "Army of Darkness," and more) are among the top experts in fight design, action choreography, and weapons combat for the motion picture industry. With years of experience bringing some of Hollywood's best fight scenes to life, they can provide masterful action tailored to the needs of any specific project, complete with choreography fitting the story and characters, on-set coordination of the action, and specialized training for casts in any historical or modern weapons or fighting styles necessary for the production. They offer classes that begin at the basic level, covering safety and the primary techniques of hand-to-hand combat (including rolls, falls, and throws), broadsword, quarterstaff, cutlass, and theatrical saber. Intermediate and advanced students continue mastering and learning more advanced applications for all these weapons as well as moving on to double cutlass, single rapier, rapier and dagger, and smallsword. The emphasis is always on those techniques that read best on film, and students perform for camera regularly and receive feedback from the swordmasters.
Specialties: Stage Combat/Stunts
Combat at Beverly Hills Fencers' Club
3639 Eastham Dr.
Culver City, CA
310-266-5151; 310-204-0085
Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing by permission.
Instructors are professional fight directors and swordmasters whose screen credits include "Charlie's Angels," "Master and Commander," "Troy," "Scorpion King," "The Last Legion," "Warrior Queen," "La Femme Musketeer," "ER," "Holes," "Power Rangers," "Queen of Swords," and "Richard III." They provide ongoing classes, workshops, and private coaching for actors in combat for screen and stage, with a particular focus on swordplay. Weekly conditioning and choreography classes offer professional standard physical training for film, using armed and unarmed techniques with a focus on timing, performance, and creativity. Regular workshops focus on specific weapons and on-camera skills through choreographed fights that are rehearsed to performance standard. Periodic one-day workshops feature sword and stunt professionals sharing their on-set skills and experiences. All levels. Single class is $30; six-week workshops are $155. Auditing by appointment. Private coaching available.
Specialties: Stage Combat/Stunts
Dave Lea's Motion Picture Stunt/Fight Training
Burbank, CA
Unlimited students per class; All levels; Auditing not permitted, but you are given a 10-minute assessment; Ongoing sessions (call for appointment).
The level of screen fighting has been raised. Students can advance their on-camera fighting skills in various fighting styles–including weapons, basic to advanced; and fine-tune hand combat and kicks, including kickboxing. Lea has worked with Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Ben Affleck, Colin Farrell, Sylvester Stallone, Ashley Judd, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Tom Cruise, Michael Keaton, and Will Smith, among others. Credits include "The Island," "Daredevil," "Batman," "Batman Returns," "Wild Wild West," "Get Carter," "Demolition Man," and more. Member of the American Choreography Committee. Salsa dance classes also offered.
Specialties: Stage Combat/Stunts
Film Fighting L.A.
Robert G. Goodwin
10 students max; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing sessions with new classes starting on the first Sunday of each month.
The Film Fighting L.A. club is a group of people learning to safely but realistically act in action scenes for film, television, and theater. Classes include a stunt fighting class on Thursday evenings. Monthly workshops include European swords, Asian weapons, Filipino weapons, Shao-lin, and Hong Kong fighting. Robert G Goodwin, founder, trained Christian Bale for "Batman Begins," trained Mark Harris for the recently released "Abducted," and is sword master for Kristanna Loken, Ron Perlman, Illeana Douglas, and Jason Lewis. He was fight coordinator for Phat Girlz, plus seven other SAG films; stunt coordinator for Jennifer Tilly, Crispin Glover, and Patrick Warburton; and has coached Ving Rhames, Charles Dutton, and the original "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." Goodwin's film credits include co-starring in and sword master for "Little Hercules in 3-D," as well as working on "Sherlock Holmes," and the video game "WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011." Theater credits include work Off-Broadway and at the Mark Taper Forum, Utah Shakespearean Festival, regional theaters, and universities from Syracuse to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Los Angeles. Goodwin has taught Tai Chi for 30 years.
Specialties: Stage Combat/Stunts
Samurai Stage Combat
Los Angeles, CA
All levels; Classes by sessions and ongoing.
Michi Yamato teaches Japanese stage combat, including karate, sword fighting, gymnastics, and trampoline techniques. He is a former member of the original Power Rangers stunt team and coordinated more than 100 episodes as a stunt coordinator.
Specialties: Stage Combat/Stunts
Swordplay Fencing Studios
www.swordplayla.com; www.timweske.com
20 students per class max; Private coaching available; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Tim Weske's SwordPlay, with locations in Burbank and Reseda, teaches all edged weapons, including Olympic-style fencing. Ongoing film- and stage-combat classes and private lessons focus on extreme detail to safety, balance, footwork, and confidence in memorization of choreography. Each class is taught in Weske's privately owned studios. With 20 years of experience, Weske has taught thousands of students and choreographed thousands of fight sequences. Recent projects include "Master and Commander," "Princess Diaries II," "Peter Pan," "Old School," "Center of the Universe," and "Gilmore Girls." Actors such as Sir Ben Kingsley, Sandra Bullock, Natalie Portman, Matthew Perry, Jeremy Piven, Brad Pitt, Anne Hathaway, Bruce Campbell, and Verne Troyer have wielded a weapon under the guidance of SwordPlay.
Specialties: Stage Combat/Stunts
Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Accurate English
13101 Washington Blvd., Ste. 114
Los Angeles, CA 90066
Private coaching only.
Lisa Mojsin, M.A., speaks five languages, has an acting background, and has taught at the college and university level. She says she aims to help her students learn to speak accurately and clearly, and to "gain confidence to go after the roles they really want." She primarily offers one-on-one courses that she says are intensive and information-packed. She says she has successfully worked with people who are "very advanced," and she doesn't pressure students to pay for a number of lessons in advance; they pay as they go.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Adele Cabot
10–12 students max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Cabot is a Designated Linklater Voice Coach, specializing in acting, voice, speech, general American dialect, and audition prep.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Alan Shaterian
Private coaching only.
Shaterian has a Ph.D. in linguistics and phonetics, and offers private coaching in speech and dialect, foreign languages, and character preparation.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Aliso Creek Productions – William Williams
William Williams, Owner
4106 W. Burbank Blvd. or P.O. Box 10006
Burbank, CA 91510
Four to six students per class; Beginning, intermediate, advanced levels; Free studio visit with consultation available; Weekly sessions; Work-study/internships available.
Williams six-week classes in commercial and animation voiceover meet in a recording studio under real-life performing conditions. Classes are limited to four to six students, so each student gets plenty of mic time, and his voiceover demo reels emphasize each actor's abilities. A free studio visit with consultation is available.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Angel Diva Music
Workshops and private coaching available; All levels, ages 5 and up; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing sessions.
An accomplished actor, singer, songwriter, and record producer, Jan Linder-Koda creates radio-ready recording packages for motivated singer-songwriters. She specializes in artist development, writes or co-writes songs with clients, and records songs in her state-of-the-art Pro Tools studio. Artists may sell their songs on her label/website.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Beverly Bremers' Voicercise
P.O. Box 333
Lake Forest, CA 92609
Six students per class max; Private consultation available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Working voiceover professional Bremers offers voiceover classes, pro workouts, and specialized workshops in Orange and San Diego Counties and online, and also produces voiceover demos and house minutes. In addition, Bremers offers classes in accent reduction, singing, and songwriting. Private consultations for all.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Bonnie Bizoza – Accent on Accent
Accent/Dialect Reduction and Acquisition
Private coaching only; On-set coaching available.
Through her company Accent on Accent, Ms. Bizoza offers accent/dialect training and accent reduction for beginners and established professionals. She is a licensed speech therapist and an experienced dialect coach. She provides private training using a multisensory approach adapted to the student's learning style to achieve authentic, natural speech patterns. Individual classes, as well as on-set coaching, are available.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Natsuko Ohama
Private coaching available.
Natsuko Ohama, a teacher of Kristin Linklater's approach, conducts private coaching and group classes. She uses exercises that involve breath, sound vibration, physical work, emotions, thought, and text. She says she works with actors to "undo habits and inhibitory blocks that limit them."
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Carol Tingle Voice Studio
2918 #C Santa Monica Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90404
www.caroltingle.com, www.centeringforperformance.com
Private coaching available; All levels and styles.
Tingle, a performer and voice teacher for almost 40 years, works with singers of all ages, levels, and styles. She offers private instruction and performance workshops in her Santa Monica studio. Emphasis is placed on the development of the voice within the style of the singer, as well as safe, healthy vocal production, audition preparation, and alleviating performance anxiety. Tingle has completed her CD series, Centering For Performance. With degrees in voice and music education, she also has a California teaching credential.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Corff Voice Studio
Bob Corff
Four students per class max; Private coaching available; Auditing permitted with student invite; Ongoing sessions.
Veteran performer and voice/performance coach Bob Corff is author of "The Bob Corff Speakers Voice Method" and "The Bob Corff Singers Method" available on CD or as a download. Along with his wife, Claire (with whom he has written and produced the CD and workbook "Achieving the Standard American Accent," also downloadable), Corff offers accent courses for actors on CD and download, and private lessons in L.A. or via Skype on how the voice works and how to make your vocal instrument work for you in the best possible way. Remember, "Your voice is your other face."
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Darlene Koldenhoven
Irvine and ValleySpring Lane
Studio City, CA
www.darlenekoldenhoven.com, www.tuneyourvoice.net, www.artofsinging.com
Six to 18 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing sessions.
With a master's in music education and voice, Koldenhoven offers vocal coaching and techniques for projection, diction, breathing, pitch, and rhythm. She teaches all styles, levels, and ages. Her new book with seven instructional CDs, "Tune Your Voice," is a new program to teach students how to sing by training the mind's musical ear along with vocal exercises. She also offers kids' classes, work in a professional recording studio, and vocal demos, as well as in-studio coaching. It's a "very fun, creative environment," Koldenhoven says.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Deborah Ellen Vocal Studio
Simi Valley, CA
Private coaching only; All levels; Hour and half-hour lessons.
Deborah Ellen has been coaching singers for 14 years. She uses a speech level approach to vocalization and vowel tuning to help you sing from chest voice, through your middle range, and into head voice seamlessly, consistently, and effortlessly. This allows you to focus on communicating the emotional message of your music and developing your true artistry. All levels welcome. She is also available via Skype.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Deborah Shulman Voice Studios
Private coaching available.
Whether you need to extend and improve your vocal range, eliminate a stubborn vocal break between registers, improve resonance in the speaking as well as singing voice, or learn how to sell a song, there are practical solutions to each specific problem. Along with vocal technique, Deborah Shulman teaches performing strategies, how to find your own performance personality, and, most importantly, she helps you increase your self-confidence as a complete performer. Shulman has been a performer, teacher, director, and producer in Los Angeles and New York City for many years. She has performed and taught successfully in all styles – from classical to pop, stage to rock, to the recording studio. Private and group classes are available.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Derek Graydon, Singing Teacher/Coach
W. Hollywood
Private Coaching; All Levels; Auditing is permitted with appointment; Generally half-hour sessions once a week.
Graydon is a Juilliard-trained star of Broadway and opera. He offers bel canto technique. "Unsurpassed," says Dame Judi Dench. "He's magic," exclaims John Travolta.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Derra Huxley "Accent Reduction Now"
Derra Huxley
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
fax: 818-385-1796
Private coaching and small groups of two to three; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Free screening/demonstration offered; Ongoing sessions.
Is your foreign accent or regional dialect getting in the way of your career? Are you frequently asked to repeat yourself? Are people focusing more on your accent than on what you are saying? Work with L.A.'s finest accent reduction specialist, Derra Huxley, M.A., California-certified speech pathologist, to reduce foreign accents and regional dialects, speak more clearly, become more easily understood, widen your professional options, and build self-confidence. Classes tailored to fit your schedule.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Dialect Up With Samara Bay
West Hollywood, CA
Private coaching only; All levels.
Samara Bay offers coaching on-set or via Skype if you have an audition tomorrow, are looking to master accents that match your type, or keep hearing you need to reduce your foreign or regional accent and learn "standard American." Bay is a fun, fast, phonetics coach whose long list of successful clients includes Broadway, television, and film actors in N.Y. and L.A. She has an MFA from Brown/Trinity and trained with the RSC's Cicely Berry and Juilliard's Kate Wilson; she's coached 12 Broadway/Off-Broadway productions and is on faculty at Pace University teaching Dialects for the Actor when she's in New York. Reasonable rates for one-hour sessions and a sliding scale for multisession packages available.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Diamante Vocal Studio
Edward Diamante
605 N. Beachwood Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90004
Private coaching available or two students per class; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Edward Diamante teaches a speech-level technique that has supported 112 Grammy Award winners while they were recording. "My students don't have 'cracks' or 'breaks' when they pass from their chest coordination into their head voices," says Diamante. "If you don't sing with an evenly produced voice, your style will suffer because you'll sing with two different voices." He says he can also help actors who don't sing professionally but who want to learn to control their voices through exercise, or who have injured their voices through laryngitis or other vocal illness.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction, Singing/Musical Theater
Dr. Carole Moskovitz, M.A., D.S.S.
Marina del Rey, CA 90292
Private coaching available; All levels.
With more than 35 years' experience as a performer and coach, Dr. Moskovitz draws upon a wide range of traditional and creative modalities to support her clients in expanding their vocal range, broadening their communication skills, developing inner listening, and strengthening breath work in support of more confident and authentic expression and performances. Moskovitz specializes in soul-centered creative and outside-the-box solutions, breaking goals down into daily doable actions that encourage long-term success.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction, Empowerment Coach
Voice and Speech With Dwight Bacquie
Actors Comedy Studio
7461 Beverly Blvd., Ste. 202
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Private coaching only, 16 years and older.
Dwight has been training actors in voice and speech for more than 20 years. He offers ongoing private lessons in voice, accents and accent reduction/expansion.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Elisa Howard's Vocal Power Academy
Howard, founder of the Vocal Power Academy, is an internationally acclaimed vocal technician and vocal stylist. A Juilliard graduate and on the vocal staff at Pepperdine University, she has conducted vocal technique workshops in 10 countries. She and her Vocal Power associates offer training in vocal technique and style for musical theater performances, songwriters, and all blues, jazz, rock, R&B, country, and opera. Performance workshops teach mic technique, choreography, acting, and image. Singers' showcases are presented at the Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood. Clients: Paige O'Hara, voice of Belle in the film "Beauty and the Beast," new Warner recording artist Lalaine of Disney's "Lizzie McGuire," "American Idol" semifinalist and MTV Pantene Pro-Voice winner Hadas, performers on Broadway and national tours, screen celebrities, 10 "Star Search" winners. Studio locations: Glendale, Moorpark, West Hollywood, Santa Monica, West Hills, Topanga, and in April a branch in Las Vegas. Howard is co-author of the "Born to Sing" DVD, and author of "SING!" book and four CDs, and "ABCs of Vocal Harmony" book and four CDs, on sight-reading, ear-training, and singing harmony.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Elizabeth Burnette
Five students per class max; Private coaching available; All levels, but mainly works with professionals by referral; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Burnette specializes in coaching foreign actors to speak standard American English (no region) for film, television, and stage. Private sessions: 1.5 hours. Small classes: 3 hours. She has been coaching in L.A. for 18 years.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Elocution Solution
Four students per class; All levels; Auditing not permitted, but free 30-minute evaluation is offered; Ongoing sessions.
Elocution Solution's speech pathologists offer individual or group sessions in voice and diction for actors, including breathing, relaxation exercises, pitch adjustment, projection, resonance, and voice care. They also work with actors on reducing or acquiring accents and learning specific speech patterns such as those associated with hearing difficulties, strokes, and stuttering. Additionally, they specialize in articulation and tongue thrust therapy. Free evaluation. Located in the San Fernando Valley.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Imagine Singing
Carla Jamie Perez
www.imaginesinging.com, carlajamieperez.com
One-on-one private coaching and workshops of six to eight students; All levels; Free introductory lesson offered; 45- or 60-minute lessons once a week or twice a month; Intensives also offered; Sessions depend on student's needs.
Carla Perez has a master's degree in voice performance and theater and has been teaching and singing for...a very long time. She teaches beginners through advanced students a "full-body presence" technique–singing from head to toe–addressing vowels, breath, support, musicianship, interpretation, and stylistic nuance. Students often refer to her teaching style as freeing and nonthreatening.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Jessica Drake
Private coaching only; All levels; Coaches Speech, Dialects, Accent Reduction, and Shakespeare.
The Juilliard-trained Drake has been coaching actors in dialect, speech, and Shakespeare for more than 25 years, with credits that include "Saving Mr. Banks," "The Life of Pi," "W.," "Milk," "L.A. Confidential," "Forrest Gump," AMC's "The Walking Dead," FX's "The Americans," TNT's "Mob City," ABC's "Brothers & Sisters," and HBO's "Six Feet Under."
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Kelly Reiter: Reel English
Private coaching available; All levels; Assessment interview required; Ongoing sessions.
Standard American dialect specialist Reiter has been coaching actors in L.A. since 1989. Her character study approach gives her students the tools, confidence, and professional American voice they need, from getting an agent to getting the part. Her clients are from overseas and out of state. She taught at UCLA for 11 years. Assessment interview required.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Leigh Gilbert
Limited class sizes; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Gilbert offers private coaching and group classes.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Lisa Popeil's Voiceworks
14431 Ventura Blvd., #200
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Training in "all things voice," is how Popeil describes her work. Students can get private coaching in jazz, belting, legit, pop, and rock. She works on vocal control, range, power, creating emotional magic, speech improvement, vocal projection for acting, vocal health, sight-singing, demo recording, performance coaching, and audition preparation. Lessons also offered via Skype. Located in Sherman Oaks, Popeil is a voice researcher, international lecturer, pianist, recording engineer, and voice expert.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
MJ Lallo
4020 W. Magnolia Blvd, Ste. K
Burbank, CA 91505
10 students per class max; All levels, plus a special three-hour Into to Voiceover class; Auditing not permitted; Classes by sessions and ongoing; Work-study/internship available for those with audio engineering experience.
Award-winning voiceover artist MJ Lallo has worked for Disney, Universal Interactive, Fox Kids, TV Guide, and Intel, and has done hundreds of commercials, games, DVDs and feature film ADR. She has been teaching commercial and animation voiceover for 18 years. The classes are held at her recording studio, and are limited to 10 people per class. Advanced classes are directed by professionals in the voiceover industry. MJ Lallo also directs and produces commercials and animation projects, as well as voiceover demo tapes. Most recent credits are VO director, and VO casting director for Snoop Dogg's Video Game "The World of Dog," Zumba Fitness videos, "Daddy I'm a Zombie" and "Daddy I'm a Zombie 2," and 26 episodes of "Clay Kids" animated series, which won the Telly Award. As well as Acuvue videos for Johnson & Johnson in French Canadian and Australian.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Professionally Speaking With Julie Daniels
Private coaching only; All levels and ages.
Professionally Speaking offers private coaching in voice, speech, accent reduction, and dialects. Emphasis in training includes proper breathing techniques, articulation, projection, and interpretation, with the goal being "a fully textured voice that sells your strengths as an actor." All ages welcome.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction, Audition Technique/Cold Reading
Rick Zieff's Unbelievably Fun Voiceover Class
Eight to 10 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Classes by sessions.
Rick Zieff teaches mic technique for TV and radio commercials, animation, narration, and audio books. As a busy voiceover actor, director, and casting director, he emphasizes the importance of character development, text analysis, and making strong creative choices at the microphone. He guides actors through preparing a demo that will be their "calling card" to the voiceover world. He cast the Academy Award–winning animated short "The ChubbChubbs!" and directed the animated feature "Steamboy" (starring Patrick Stewart and Alfred Molina). Rick coaches adults and children at his studio in West Hollywood. Rick's fun, fast-paced style makes him one of L.A.'s most sought-after teachers for adults and children.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Rowena Balos
Private coaching available; All levels.
Balos offers short-term and ongoing workshops and private coaching in voice connection,verbal commitment (speech), accent reduction, and Shakespeare. She has taught at many acting studios, universities, and theater companies around the world, including, NYU, UCLA, CalArts, the Howard Fine Acting Studio, the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, the Sydney Theatre Company, American Conservatory Theater, and Antaeus Classical Theatre Company. "I focus on helping you reveal, in your voice and body, all of what you are thinking and feeling," says Balos. "I concentrate on freeing the breath, connecting to sound, expanding emotional and tonal range, releasing tension, and developing verbal commitment." Her former students include Joel Edgerton, Amy Brenneman, Paul Reiser, Peter Coyote, Mariska Hargitay, Judy Davis, Joanne Woodward, and Heather Locklear.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction, Classical
Sandi Massie
Two students per session; Master classes and private coaching available.
Massie is a coach for voice, speech, dialects, and accent reduction. She has been teaching and coaching theater, television, and film for the past 20 years. She teaches relaxation, breath support, resonance, diction, and many other aspects of voice.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
The Stuttering Foundation
Jane Fraser, President
1805 Moriah Woods Blvd., Ste. 3
Memphis, TN 38117
fax: 901-761-0484
Offers information on stuttering and referrals for speech therapists that specialize in the disorder.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Vocal Stylings
Lisa Cushing, Owner
Private coaching only; All levels.
Vocal Stylings offers private singing lessons and in-studio vocal production to free the artist in you, helping you perform with greater passion, power, emotion, and energy. Styles include rock, R&B, pop, and Broadway. Areas of specialization include vocal power, breathing techniques, extension of range, and style development. All levels welcome. Discount packages available.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Vocal Yoga
Heather Lyle
Private coaching and group instruction available; All levels.
Vocal Yoga offers technique for singing, acting, and public speaking; Vocal yoga; Fitzmaurice Voicework; Standard American Dialect; and jazz.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
The Voicecaster Voiceover Workshops
Kelly L. Passinault, Owner and Head of Casting
1832 W. Burbank Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91506
fax: 818-841-2085
10–12 students per class; Private coaching available; Beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels; Auditing not permitted; Four- to six-week sessions.
The Voicecaster is celebrating over 35 years of casting for radio and television commercials, as well as industrials, animation, narration, CD-ROM, voices of toys, and more. Kelly L. Passinault, owner and head of casting, and her staff work on voiceover skills from microphone technique to translating and breaking down copy, as well as introducing the most current trends in advertising. Says Passinault, "Our approach to VO training is focused on each individual and the level he or she is at. All classes are taught with an on-your-feet approach so students are in front of the microphone working in the studio. This ensures that even through our group classes, the students get an individualized approach to bettering themselves in the voiceover industry." Courses meet in four- and six-week sessions, $300-$550. No auditing. No requirements for admission to beginning levels; higher-level classes require prior professional voiceover training.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Wally (No-B.S.!) Burr – Voiceover Coaching
Wally Burr, CEO
Hollywood, CA
10 students per class max; Private coaching available; All levels; One auditing visit permitted; Ongoing six-week cycles, one session per week; Work-study/internships available.
Voice director and casting director on more than 2,000 animated TV episodes ("Transformers": 98 first-generation shows, "GI Joe": 92 first-generation shows, "Jem": 65 shows, "Inspector Gadget": 52 shows, "Conan": 65 shows, "My Little Pony": 26 shows, etc.). Six animated features.
Leo Burnett commercial producer-director on hundreds of commercials for Kellogg's, Allstate, Pillsbury, StarKist, Green Giant, etc. Member of SAG-AFTRA and DGA. Burr offers voiceover instruction and voiceover demo production.
Specialties: Voice/Dialects/Accent Reduction
Young Performers
The Acting Camp
Erik Lingvall
11560 Calle Real
Santa Barbara, CA 93117
64 students max; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Classes by sessions.
The Acting Camp (TAC) is a three-day weekend intensive for kids, teens, and parents. At TAC, the young talent works with and learns from L.A.'s best acting coaches, while their parents interact with top youth agents and parents of "working actors." TAC's team of highly experienced acting coaches cover essential acting tools such as on-camera audition technique, improvisation, cold reads, monologues, scene study, voice (accents, singing, projecting, enunciating), and movement. On the final day of the camp, the actors perform prepared scenes in front of 10 top casting directors from networks like Disney, Nickelodeon, Fox Family, CBS, and the CW. After the showcase, the actors and their parents meet with each of the casting directors, get direct feedback, pick their brains, and leave the camp on a first-name basis with these top decision-makers. Unlike most acting camps, TAC is unique in that it takes place in an actual "camp" setting, at the El Capitan Canyon Resort. The idea is to give actors and parents the tools to achieve success, while enjoying the benefits of a beautiful outdoor environment. All TAC participants can join in fun camp activities, indulge in the camp surroundings and let their creativity run wild!
Specialties: Young Performers
Acting for Children & Teens at Edgemar Center for the Arts
Alexandra Guarnieri, Managing Director
2437 Main St.
Santa Monica, CA 90405
fax: 310-399-2898
15 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels – Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced; Auditing not permitted: Free info sessions Thursdays from 10:30a.m. – 12:30p.m; Ongoing sessions.
Classes Include: Youth Conservatory Acting Intensive: Film/TV and Improv Intensive for Kids (14 weeks);Beginner to Advanced; Showcase at the end of the term; Whether you are new to the industry or a professional actor looking to keep your on-camera acting tools sharp, this intensive 14-week program will allow you to perfect your auditioning and improvisational skills. The weekly 4.5-hour class combines on-camera acting and improv; Acting and Improv 8-Week Intensive: Children and Teen Ongoing Acting Classes; Create a strong acting foundation through interactive exercises, utilizing improv games, theater, and scene work. Join us and learn to trust your instincts and build self-confidence; On-Camera Auditioning 8-Week Intensive: Children and Teen Ongoing Acting Classes; On-camera class that prepares students to develop their auditioning skills, as well as build confidence with public speaking. In this class students get to work with the latest sides; Glee! Club: This high-energy Glee! Club Summer Camp will incorporate acting, singing, and dancing, as we create our own version of the popular television show "Glee"! Individual, small-group, and whole-group activities are incorporated. You will create your own unique Glee! Club character (different than the characters seen on the television show), as we work together to write unique and interesting scenes and rehearse our own mini version of "Glee." Whether you like to just act, sing, or dance, there will be something for everyone; Fairy Tales and Superheroes: In this class, we will choose our favorite characters from well-known stories like Cinderella, Rapunzel, Batman, and Spider-Man. There will be drama games, music, and dance, as we work together to create our very own superhero and fairy tale mini play.
Specialties: Young Performers
Actors Comedy Studio Youth Division
Lauren Marie Bertoni, Founder and Head of Department
Actors Comedy Studio
7461 Beverly Blvd., Ste. 202
Los Angeles, CA 90036
16 students per class max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Lauren's Hollywood Youth Division encompasses cold reading, audition technique, script analysis, character development, and much more. Lauren instills confidence in all of her students and understands that when a young actor begins a career in TV and film, the whole family is involved. Lauren also teaches a foundational course for adult actors.
Specialties: Young Performers
Agoura Children's Theatre
Ellen Marano and Susan Elton, Directors
28240 Agoura Rd. #202
Agoura Hills, CA 91301
818-389-1799 or 818-225-1459
Eight to 12 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing sessions plus summer camps.
Agoura's first children's theater. Improv, cold reading, and theater classes for ages 6–19.
Specialties: Young Performers
Barb North The Kidz Koach (And Grown Ups Too!)
22647 Ventura Blvd., Ste. 422
Woodland Hills, CA 91364
fax: 818-347-5099
Private coaching only.
With 30 years' experience, North works privately (either in person, on Skype, or by phone) with children and their parents in what she calls "a fun and nurturing environment." She has taught school, worked with children in scouting, and raised her own daughter. She is a working writer, producer, performer, and manager with more than 30 national television shows to her credit.. She teaches children acting and audition strategies, and she works with parents "to help navigate the business." Barb is great at breaking down scenes, finding the funny, and working with both kids and adults. She also helps actors develop sketch characters and write material. She also works with adults.
Specialties: Young Performers
BB's Kids Acting Workshop with Belinda Balaski
Belinda Balaski, Owner
Santa Monica, CA
www.bbskids.com and www.belindabalaski.com
10–16 students per class; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Three 8-week sessions per year, one six-week summer session; Work-study/payback system available.
Balaski has been acting since age 5 and has more than 40 years of experience in the business. She earned an L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award, two Robbies, and several Emmy nominations. For the past 25-plus years she has been teaching kids and teens in a variety of eight-week classes: Commercial Workshop (5-18), Adult Commercials (18 and up), TV & Film Acting (9 and up), Music Video/Theater (7 and up), Tot's Acting (4–8), Monologues (8 and up), Shakespeare Classics (10 and up), Sitcom (10 and up), Dialects & Voiceovers (8 and up), Teen Improv (10 and up), Modeling: Print & Runway (8-25), Auditions with Casting Director (10 and up), and parent seminars. Classes are limited to 10–16 students. All classes are taped, with live/tape showcases at graduation for agents and parents. The eight-week sessions start in January, April, July, and October.
Specialties: Young Performers
Bobby Gene's Actors Clubhouse
Stacey Y. Gonzales, Bobby Gene
6472 Santa Monica Blvd., Ste. 210
Los Angeles, CA 90038
Seven to 12 students per class; Private coaching available; All levels; Ongoing sessions.
Our goal is to build up confidence and strengthen the self-esteem of people. Positive energy is what we work on. Enhancing and advancing the true and real individual within oneself through practice, persistence, patience, and prayer.
Specialties: Young Performers, Acting Technique/Scene Study
Carter Thor Studio
Maggie at firstname.lastname@example.com, Enrollments
12417 Ventura Ct.
Studio City, CA 91604
20 students per class max; Professional and introductory instruction available; Auditing is permitted; Film/On-Camera, Scene Study, Cold Reading, Script Analysis, and Teen classes Monday–Thursday and Saturday; Work-study and scholarship offered.
Carter Thor Studio has been committed to inspiring both seasoned professionals and new actors for more than 20 years. The goal at Carter Thor is to provide an effective and practical education for actors who are dedicated to furthering their craft through the understanding of scene study, script analysis, and film technique. Carter Thor Studio is dedicated to uncovering what is unique about each actor and helping develop advanced craft and skills in relationship to that individuality.
Specialties: Young Performers
Harriet Greenspan
All levels; Sessions once per month.
A casting director for the past 25 years, Greenspan casts projects for Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel. Past credits include features, MOWs, pilots, soaps, and series. Greenspan offers private coaching and intensive workshops for kids, teens, and young adults.
Specialties: Young Performers
Joy Theatre – Josh and Janice Jary Minnick
The Raven Playhouse
5233 Lankershim Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
15 students per class max; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions; Work-study/internship program available.
Joy Theatre offers classes in comedy. "Our program is geared to give you the tools and talent to be confident and funny onstage and in the world," says Minnick. The company has ongoing weekend and after-school programs, as well as an on-camera class. The theater offers weekly comedy shows for all ages, Saturday–Sunday at 2 p.m. (kids ages 4–11) and 5 p.m. (teens ages 12–18). The shows are a mixture of all things comedy: improv, sketch, standup, characters, music, and more.
Specialties: Young Performers, Improv and Comedy
Kids On Camera
Phil De Champlain
12215 Ventura Blvd., Ste. 111
Studio CIty, CA 91604
10–14 students per class; All levels; One-time free audit; Ongoing sessions; Internship available with film school.
Phil De Champlain's coaching is based on his own experience as an actor, writer, and director for more than 15 years. Students discover what makes them unique inside. Ongoing kids and teen classes are offered in Studio City and Simi Valley. The focus is on on-camera auditioning, cold reading, improvisation, and film and TV scene study. "Students will master the invaluable 'eye to brain' line-reading technique," says De Champlain. Classes help children build self-confidence and strengthen reading comprehension, and they are designed to be fun. "This on-camera class will unleash your child's creativity and develop the acting skills needed to perform in film and TV. Each child will be challenged individually to reach their full potential," he says. "Giving the child confidence is our goal." Private tutorials are also available.
Specialties: Young Performers, On-Camera Technique, Audition Technique/Cold Reading, Improv and Comedy, Acting Technique/Scene Study
Laguna Playhouse – Youth Theatre
Donna Inglima, Director of Youth Theatre, Education, and Outreach
606 Laguna Canyon Rd.
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
949-497-2787, ext. 202
10–14 students per class; Beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels; Auditing not permitted; One-year audition-based conservatory, ongoing nonaudition workshop classes, and summer theater workshops; Unpaid work-study and internship opportunities occasionally exist.
This acclaimed regional theater offers a variety of ongoing acting and creative drama classes for ages 6–18. Classes are taught in 10-week sessions during the school year. Also available: Musical Theatre & Acting Summer Institute for ages 10–18. No audition required. For students interested in more intensive training, there is the yearlong, audition/tuition-based Youth Conservatory for ages 10–18. All classes are taught by theater professionals.
Specialties: Young Performers
Larrymore-Kelly Performing Arts Academy
Phyllis Kelly, CEO
Warner Center Towers
21550 Oxnard St., Ste. 300
Woodland Hills, CA 91367
All levels; Work-study/internships available.
Critically acclaimed actress RaéVen Larrymore Kelly ("Preacher's Kid," "Hannah Montana," Young Tina Turner in "What's Love Got To Do With It?," "A Time to Kill," "I'll Fly Away") is sharing her passion and experience with the next generation. Having founded the Larrymore-Kelly Performing Arts Academy with her mother, veteran entertainment and literary manager, director, award-winning producer, celebrity casting and longtime acting coach Phyllis Larrymore-Kelly, she aims to "provide youth a solid foundation in the performing arts through a cathartic and nurturing educational process." The academy offers instruction in scene study, improvisation, and audition technique, among other subjects, for both kids (4–12) and teens (13–18). A UCLA graduate, RaéVen Larrymore-Kelly has been in the business since age 2. She has been honored with a Young Hollywood Acting Award, an NAACP Theatre Best Lead Actress Award, and a National Black Theatre Festival Award, among others. Phyllis Larrymore-Kelly, with a niche for celebrity casting to independent films, manages successful on-screen talent, Producer of awarded film and theater projects, drama therapist, and is a magna cum laude graduate in performing arts with a dual degree in speech pathology.
Specialties: Young Performers
Marnie Cooper School of Acting Inc.
20 students per class max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing sessions.
An acting teacher and coach with more than 20 years' experience, Cooper offers advanced classes (ages 5–21), private coaching, on-set coaching, and weekend workshops. She specializes in audition preparation. She recently published a how-to acting book for children and their parents (available at www.howdoiact.com). Cooper's students have appeared in film, television, theater, soaps, and commercials, won Emmys, and been nominated for Cable Ace and Tony Awards. Cooper coached young actors on numerous film sets including "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." Director Ron Howard raved: "Marnie is passionate, knowledgeable, and a wonderful teacher. Her integrity and enthusiasm are exemplary and, in the most positive way, infectious."
Specialties: Young Performers
Orange County Professional Actors' Workshop with Elizabeth Kent
Elizabeth Kent, Creative Director
Newport Beach
Eight students max; Private coaching available; All levels; Ongoing sessions.
In addition to Kent's many directorial credits for theater in Los Angeles and Orange County, she has 20 years' experience as an acting coach for film, TV, and theater. Class size is small (eight actors), and individualized instruction is given. Her students have found professional representation through her coaching in Los Angeles. Classes for young actors: $200/eight classes. Classes for adult actors: $200/eight weeks. Elizabeth Kent is also the creative director for Seaside Musical Theater in Newport Beach and directs three to four musicals per season.
Specialties: Young Performers
Orange County Song & Dance Co.
5860 Westminster Blvd.
Westminster, CA 92683
fax: 714-899-9675
This company offers two summer sessions for ages 9 to young adult in acting for the camera, addressing script reading, camera presence, cold reading, and audition techniques. Character analysis and portrayal will be presented in an on-camera environment.
Specialties: Young Performers, Acting Technique/Scene Study, Singing/Musical Theater
Quit Acting!
Laura Lasky
5312 Radford Ave., Ste. 5
Valley Village, CA 91607
Private coaching only; All levels.
Laura Lasky's ongoing monthly sessions for kids and teens, and adults are designed to help, "find out what's holding you back and quit it." Her one-on-one coaching emphasizes individualized audition techniques as well as getting rid of audition anxiety, career, and other creative blocks that may be keeping the actor from booking the roles he or she wants.
Specialties: Young Performers
The Santa Monica Playhouse Education Conservatory
Serena Dolinsky, Director of Education
1211 Fourth St.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310-394-9779, ext. 673
fax: 310-393-5573
10–15 students per class; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Sessions in each season; Internship program is available.
This conservatory, now celebrating 42 years of continuous theatrical and educational services to the community, offers extensive training for actors, from beginners through professionals, year-round. A variety of workshops for all ages, preschool through adult, focus on audition technique, communication skills, musical theater, character development, movement for the stage, voice, performance, and camera technique. Alumni include Kate Hudson, Jason Ritter, Zooey Deschanel, Jason Segel, and Maroon 5's Mickey Madden. Acceptance is by interview only.
Specialties: Young Performers
Teen Actor's Lab
Los Angeles, CA
30 students per class max; All levels; Auditing not permitted; Ongoing sessions.
Teen Actor's Lab is for passionate young actors of all levels. All classes culminate in a showcase performed for invited audiences, including industry guests, and have earned a reputation for excellence.
Specialties: Young Performers
Total Improv Kids
The Avery Schreiber Theatre
11050 Magnolia Blvd.
N. Hollywood, CA 91601
12–14 students per class; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Ongoing sessions; Possible work-study available.
Premier improv school for children, ages 8–21. Teaches children the art of improvisation from beginning to adult level. Students have successfully performed in some of L.A.'s hottest comedy clubs and national festivals, and are scheduled to appear Off-Broadway in 2007.
Specialties: Young Performers, Improv and Comedy
Tracy Martin/Koaching Kids & Teens
Toluca Lake, CA
www.koachingkids.com / daily acting tips: @koachingkids on twitter
10 students per class max; Private coaching available in person or via Skype; Intermediate and advanced levels; Auditing for agents and managers only; Classes offered four times a year; Possible work-study available.
Since these classes began in 1998, more than 20 agencies and managers have been referring young students to Martin, she says. Her students consistently work as leads in major films, as series regulars, and guest stars in TV series, commercials, voiceovers, and animated series. Martin works one-on-one, she explains, "to get you or your child to where he or she needs to be quickly." She also offers a Working Pro/Young Adult Acting/Auditioning class, an Intensive Teen Acting & Auditioning class, and a Pre-Teen Acting/Auditioning class. All are eight- or six-week classes. One-day intensive voiceover classes are offered, as well as four-week Teen Web classes for those who don't live in L.A. Six- and eight-week classes are not for beginners. Students must have an agent and be actively auditioning. All classes include on-camera technique work. Classes in Toluca Lake.
Specialties: Young Performers
The Young Actor's Studio
Andrew Shafer, Managing Director
5215 Lankershim Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 91601
15 students per class max; Adult classes also available; Auditing is not permitted; Set up interview to learn more about studio; Classes by sessions.
Young Actor's Studio offers coaching and training for young actors, ages 5–18, plus a new advanced adult class meeting on Sunday or Monday evenings. The course uses the basics of the Stanislavsky system, teaching young actors to learn to use their unique qualities in their acting. A full conservatory day or a choice of individual classes–including stage combat, comedy improv/voice, audition technique, acting technique, and production–is available. Students are given the opportunity to act in a variety of productions, including new original plays at the NoHo Actors' Studio in North Hollywood. The Artistic Director, Jeff Alan-Lee, has taught kids and teens at Lee Strasberg in New York and L.A. Some of Alan-Lee's students include Scarlett Johansson and Shia LeBeouf. We schedule interviews for perspective students.
Specialties: Young Performers
Young Actors Camp
Nichelle Rodriguez, Education Director
Azusa Pacific University
Los Angeles, CA
fax: 909-482-2011
10–12 students per class; All levels; Summer sessions only.
We are the largest and most well-rounded residential child/teen acting program in the U.S. YAC was named a top five camp by the Travel Channel, a distinction owed to the great celebrity guest and iconic companies that help teach our young actors about the Hollywood film industry. The training is second to none, as we bring in award–winning teachers to challenge the most experienced young actor.
Specialties: Young Performers
Young Actors Space
Patrick Day, Director
5918 Van Nuys Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91401
15 students max; Private coaching available; All levels; Auditing is permitted; Fall, winter, and spring sessions; Summer conservatory.
Young Actors Space, established in 1979, is the original and premier school for performers as young as age 5 to adults. Our passion and commitment to developing young talent in the craft of acting for the last 30-plus years has given us the opportunity to help nurture some of the brightest stars in the industry.
Our classes are structured with half improvisation and half scene study. We use truth-based improv to accentuate the uniqueness of each actor. Our goal is to make the written scene seem like an improvisation. We train our actors to make strong specific choices based on the writer's intent. YAS is a process-oriented school that encourages its actors to get out of their heads and into their hearts. Private coaching, on-set coaching, and career consultation also available.
Specialties: Young Performers, Acting Technique/Scene Study